Domestic and international flyers at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) can now relax at the luxurious ‘080 Lounges’, recently unveiled by Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL).
All the aspects in the domestic and the international lounges, including art, artisans, and heritage, revolve around Bengaluru and even the name, 080 is attributed to the city’s trunk dial code.
While the first phase of the project is now open, once the second phase is also inaugurated, each lounge will occupy a space of over 2,000 square feet.
BIAL officials said that the concept idea for the lounges was planned three to four years ago, with an aim to bring back luxury and sheen into flying. “Over the years, as more people gained access, flying lost the element of luxury and became a mass transport. With these lounges we look to bring back that element,” they explained.
Accordingly, the amenities at the domestic lounge include a cocktail bar, a quiet room with a library, a snug area, and a VIP suite, among others, and the international lounge has a whiskey bar, whiskey tasting area, and a wellness zone with spa and therapy. The marble flooring and different textures of wood and metal used in the interior decoration add on to the luxury factor.
There is also an entertainment pod, phone booths where travellers can take their work calls, and many other areas inside the lounges.
Speaking about the design and branding ideas behind the lounges, BIAL sources said that two principles – greenery and fluidity – were mainly considered while building the lounges. A lot of greenery, including an inverted garden from the ceiling, has also been incorporated in the lounges to get symmetrical with Bengaluru’s ‘Garden city’ image while curves and free flowing designs have been employed to ensure that the lounges feel like a lot of different zones instead of one big area.
The lounge can be accessed by those affiliated with loyalty programmes, partner airlines, and any other flyers by paying a package fee. The domestic lounge, in the first phase, has a capacity of 300 people and the international lounge has a capacity of 235.
There is also a ‘080 Transit Hotel’ which can be accessed by travellers on a flexible hourly basis fee. The culinary operations across the board will be headed by celebrity chef Abhijit Saha. The food prepared will include fresh, local, and chemical-free ingredients.
