Why mogo is a go go at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru

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I’m back in Hong Kong, albeit temporarily, after a brief but magical trip to Bengaluru.

Tomorrow I will take the 12 hour-plus flight across the Pacific to Vancouver, British Columbia, the Canadian province where my father, his father, grandfather and great grandfather before him were born, a reminder of a distant family bloodline and timeline.

Next stop Vancouver International Airport {Photo: Vancouver Airport Authority}

I’ve been invited by Vancouver Airport Authority to discover more about this outstanding Pacific gateway, including my first look at the new Avolta-run 2,800sq m Vancouver Duty Free operation that – like the airport as a whole – encapsulates a vibrant sense of place. Watch out for my daily coverage on this Blog and our main website.

As I prepare to visit one of the world’s great airports (rated number one in North America and 13th in the world in the Skytrax 2025 rankings), I reflect fondly on my experience at another.

Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru Terminal 2 was this year awarded the Skytrax 5-Star airport terminal rating – the only Indian airport to have achieved the status. The Bengaluru gateway was also named the best regional airport in India and South Asia.

“I think all of this is reflective of our deep belief that the customer and the customer experience have to be at the centre of everything that we do, everything that we build, everything that we design and everything that we deliver,” Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) Managing Director & CEO Hari Marar told guests at the Pinnacle by BLR Awards held at the BIAL-run Taj Bengaluru hotel last Friday night.

Hari Marar: “Most people see airports as buildings and planes, I see them as people – millions of people that come together”

I was privileged to be a judge for this far-sighted programme, which aims to redefine excellence in the aviation sector by celebrating the achievements of stakeholders, including retailers, food & beverage providers, airlines, car rental companies and others.

I join fellow Pinnacle by BLR judges for a presentation by Hari Marar
Avolta was the proud winner of the Excellence in Environmental, Social and Governance policy award

It was a sensationally good evening full of passion, pride and no little poignancy as some extraordinary stories of commitment were outlined.

None more so than that of Alina Alam, Founder of Mitti Café, a wondrous social enterprise I have written about several times on this Blog, dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities by providing them opportunities for economic independence and dignity.

Alina, who could not attend having given birth to her second child just days before, was named Woman Achiever of the Year. For me to be on stage with Mitti Café Director & COO Swati Keshan Dokania and team members Kiran Kumari and Chandrakant as they received the award was one of the standout moments of my career.

A proud moment for Mitti Café Director & COO Swati Keshan Dokania (second from right) and team members Kiran Kumari (holding the certificate) and Chandrakant as they receive the award on Alina Alam’s behalf

The evening celebrated innovation as well as excellence. Hari Marar also unveiled ‘Dancing Bamboo’, an airport fragrance designed to create a multi-sensory, immersive experience for passengers. The scent will be deployed in various airport areas, including the arrivals hall, check-in zone and boarding gates.

“We’ve always stated that we want the airport experience to be an extraordinary and unforgettable experience, and there’s nothing that makes it more unforgettable than when it is soothing, calming, truly immersive and multi-sensory,” Hari explained.

Scents of place in Bengaluru

In another key initiative, Marar revealed a new sonic identity for the airport, based on BLR’s ‘The World is Waiting For You’ anthem, composed by Grammy-winning artist Ricky Kej and released last year.

BIAL hired Rajiv Raja, Founder & Soundsmith of BrandMusiq, India’s leading sonic branding agency and one of the country’s finest jazz and fusion flautists to create the identity.

The marvellously multi-talented Raja told guests, “When we were analysing this piece of music, we had to look at different elements. Just like every brand has a logo, we create a mogo or musical logo.

Mogo no longer an airport no go: Rajiv Raja (centre) is joined by fellow musicians to unveil the BLR sonic identity
BIAL Managing Director & CEO Hari Marar and I pictured at Taj Bengaluru hours before the Pinnacle by BLR Awards

“So we had to look at hooks that everybody would instantly recognise and register. One key part of Ricky’s anthem is the chorus. When we were designing the sonic identity, we created what we call a mogoscape – the sonic theme of the brand, within which is the mogo.

“We had to express the essence of BLR airport, which is turning airports into magical destinations. Therefore there had to be a magical feel to it. We also wanted to communicate the inclusiveness and caring nature of the BLR brand as well as delight and inspiration.”

Raja then played a video showing how ‘The World is Waiting For You’ had been turned into BLR’s sonic identity, capturing “all the elements and the essence of Bengaluru.”

As an exhilarating evening drew to a close, I headed straight from the Taj Bengaluru to Terminal 2 for a whistlestop tour of the commercial and hospitality offer before catching my plane home to Hong Kong in the wee small hours of the morning. Below, in photo form, you can see some of my impressions.

A two and a half day door-to-door visit hardly does this stupendously good airport justice but I’ll be back soon enough. For in July, Moodie Davitt STUDIO will be shooting the second edition of our acclaimed Airport Wonders of the World film series (the first was set at Hamad International Airport, Doha).

As the name suggests, the series is dedicated to the world’s great airports and truly the ‘Terminal in a Garden’ that is Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru T2 lives up to that billing.

“Most people see airports as buildings and planes, I see them as people – millions of people that come together,” Hari Marar told me over coffee at the Taj Bengaluru.

“How do you make that into something larger than it is? It’s an opportunity to influence a large cross-section of people and maybe humanity in some sense.”

And that, in our increasingly dark and troubled world, is precisely what Bangalore International Airport Limited is doing.

(From left) It’s all smiles from Mitti Café’s Chandrakant, Kiran Kumari, me and BIAL Chief Commercial Officer Kenneth Guldbjerg after the conclusion of the awards ceremony
I am pictured with (from left) Bangalore Airport City Limited Executive Director and CEO Rao Munukutla, Travel Food Services Executive Director & CEO Varun Kapur and Bangalore Airport City Limited Chief Commercial Officer Avishek Bambii Das 
Time for a few words on camera before the big event commences
The descriptions were almost as tempting as the multiple cuisines on offer
It was good to catch up with Travel Food Services Chief Operating Officer Gaurav Dewan (centre) and Bangalore International Airport Limited Vice President Commercial Development Pravat Paikray
Time to head to the airport and a farewell to Bangalore International Airport Limited Manager – Advertising and Content Management Andrew Thomas

TERMINAL IN A GARDEN: A KEMPEGOWDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT BENGALURU T2 PICTURE GALLERY

The majestic kerbside view of Kempegowda International Airport Terminal 2
I am that rarest of birds, a Flying Kiwi
The sense of wonder increases as you step inside the terminal

T2 features 3,600+ native plant species, 620 endemic plants and even 600 to 800 year-old trees, all nourished by a fully automated irrigation system

This, believe it or not, is the post-security, pre-retail zone. Passengers can decompress, bask in the greenery and innate sense of place, instead of being immediately herded into the commercial offer.

Is this the airport world’s most distinctive Starbucks?

It’s time to go shopping at Bengaluru Duty Free. And as the signs suggest, there’s a lot more to come.
What an entrance to a duty-free store

High ceilings, warm and alluring design, top-class product ranging. This is what a great duty-free store looks like.

I love the bright, open ambience and the laid-back feel. Duty-free shopping should be about enticing the passenger on an unpressured journey of discovery. Here the experience is exactly that.

The Bengaluru Duty Free staff to a man and woman offer consistently friendly and professional service. Febena talked me through the excellent Indian chocolate offer with knowledge, care and enthusiasm.
India has become synonymous with top-class whisky and Bengaluru Duty Free offers a suitably top-class representation of the category
The vibrant Indian Market Place is a magnet for shopper interest. Including mine.

Thriving Indian wellness brand Forest Essentials is particularly popular with foreign shoppers. Little wonder, given the understated finery of this boutique.
The Irish House, run by Travel Food Services, offers a vibe every bit as chilled as the beverages on offer. And equally refreshingly, it’s anything but your average cliched Irish airport pub.
It is also a great place to watch the IPL. As I did. On screen is New Zealand bowling ace Trent Boult, who plays for the Mumbai Indians. Another Flying Kiwi.

Art & Culture is one of Terminal 2’s four pillars (the others are Terminal in a Garden, Sustainability and Technology), nicely encapsulated by the Museum of Art & Photography store and showcase

India has a thriving artisan chocolate scene, a dynamic brought to splendid effect at T2
The terminal also boasts an extensive food & beverage offer, a nicely balanced blend of east and west

It’s time to visit the acclaimed Zero Eight Zero lounge {080 is the Bengaluru STD code}

The lounge pays an affectionate nod to India’s famous Bollywood film industry
This parametric structure is made from Lantana Camara, a tropical American shrub introduced to India by the British as a decorative plant during colonial rule. However, its original ornamental purpose proved just as invasive as the Brits, with the plant flourishing across entire swathes of the country. It now occupies more than 40% of India’s tiger range, threatening the already imperilled animal species. How impressive to see it turned to good use.
The lounge offers splendid views of the terminal airside interior
The sublime Shalimar section within the Zero Eight Zero International Lounge is inspired by the Shalimar Bagh in Kashmir. This exclusive area for First Class passengers features a thrillingly diverse array of Mughal elements, including rose gardens, a gazebo and various Kashmiri art forms.

Yes, you are looking at an airport lounge washroom, a facility that would not be out of place in a seven-star hotel

This breathtaking piece of handpainted artistry sums up to me the magic of the Zero Eight Zero experience
Sous Chef Kshitiz welcomed me warmly to the Shalimar Lounge, where he treated me to some of his culinary gems

Before I bid them a fond farewell, I give a big thumbs up to the outstandingly dedicated l staff at Zero Eight Zero Lounge. Consummate professionals all.

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