Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) is all set to embark on its expansion plan and fast-track the construction of its new terminal building.

The newly constituted board of directors of BIAL, which met in Bangalore on Tuesday, has agreed to start work immediately on planning and construction of the new terminal with an initial capacity for 15 million passengers per annum. It will be expanded to cater to 36 million passengers in later phases. “Design for the new terminal building will be selected through a global bidding process involving world’s leading architects,” the airport operator said.

Expansion of the existing terminal building is also on the cards to cater to the growth in passenger traffic. This development will take the annual capacity of the existing terminal to 15 million passengers.

Architectural firm HOK has been appointed to design this expansion.

According to new board of directors and chairman of GVKPIL, G V Krishna Re­ddy, “We intend to fast-track implementation of the new master plan for Bengaluru International Airport. We will ensure that the new passenger terminal combines the best in technology and processes.’’

Further, a comprehensive landscaping master plan will be undertaken on the city side leading up to the airport to enhance passenger experience.

The decisions to fast-track expansion comes after the reconstitution of the BIAL board following the acquisition of a 29 per cent stake in the company by GVK Power and Infrastructure (GVKPIL). With the change in shareholding pattern, the BIAL board now includes G V Krishna Reddy, Indira Reddy and G V Sanjay Reddy, who were appointed as new directors.

GVKPIL is an infrastructure group, which is involved in the operation and modernisation of India’s busiest airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.