Bengaluru Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The BLR crew card
| Into town | BMTC Vayu Vajra bus KIAB-9 to Kempegowda Bus Station, the central bus station also known as Majestic: 70 minutes for INR 240 over 34.48 km, with three stops on the way (the operator counts five end to end, including both termini) |
|---|---|
| First and last | KIAB-9 leaves the airport from 05:20 to 23:25 and leaves Kempegowda Bus Station for the airport from 06:10 to 23:40, plus two overnight runs at 00:10 and 00:40. Two other routes leave the airport after midnight: KIAB-5 to Banashankari at 00:05 and KIAB-8 to Electronic City at 00:30 |
| Payments | Vayu Vajra accepts both cash and UPI payments upon boarding the bus. The operator states cash or UPI on boarding; it does not say whether an advance ticket or a card gate exists |
| Tap water | Not safe from the tap. Buy sealed bottled water and skip the ice. We could not reach the local water utility, so this rests on national travel health advice. |
| Emergency | 112 (India does not use one number for everything. 112 reaches all services including an ambulance, and forwards to health and women dispatchers. 181 is the national women’s helpline. Police 100 and fire 101 are also live.) |
| Solo and at night | Government of Canada advice for India: at the airport use officially marked taxis or pre-paid transport services, negotiate the fare in advance or insist the driver uses the meter, avoid travelling alone especially at night, and do not share taxis with strangers |
| Crew knows | The 70 minute coach time is one flat allowance the operator prints on every KIAB-9 run, at every hour and in both directions, so a peak return runs longer than the timetable says. If anything goes wrong out there it is one number: 112 reaches all services, and you ask for the ambulance on the same call |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · BLR crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
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Getting from BLR Airport into central Bengaluru: which ride makes sense?
The airport sits well outside the city and every option is a long ride, so the return leg is the part that needs planning. The BMTC Vayu Vajra coaches are the workhorse: ten routes fan out from the terminal, fares are published per route, and you pay on board. Ask the price before you ride from Bengaluru airport, or use an app that quotes the fare. The airport publishes no taxi tariff and no fare estimate.
👉 Swipe sideways to see the full table
| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus (BMTC Vayu Vajra, route KIAB-9 to Kempegowda Bus Station, Majestic) | a scheduled 70 minutes, which is the operator’s uniform allowance rather than an observed journey time 37 departures a day from the airport, first 05:20 and last 23:25; toward the airport 37 departures, 00:10, 00:40, then 06:10 to 23:40 |
INR 240, one way, 34.48 km | Five stops each way: airport, Hebbal, Mekri Circle, Shivananda Circle, Kempegowda Bus Station. Pay cash or UPI on boarding. Nine other Vayu Vajra routes serve the airport with their own fares, among them KIAB-5 to Banashankari at INR 270, KIAB-4 to HAL at INR 260, KIAB-10 to Mysuru Road Bus Station at INR 250 and KIAB-8 to Electronic City at INR 330. Namma Metro does not reach the airport: BMRCL’s own project data lists Purple, Green and Yellow line timetables as operating, and lists the Blue line section Bagaluru Cross to KIA Terminal, 4 stations over 15.41 km, as an ongoing Phase 2B project. Kempegowda Metro Station, Majestic sits on the operating network at the same interchange this bus terminates at. Budget more than the timetable arithmetic for a peak return: the same allowance is applied to every run on the route regardless of hour or direction. |
| Train (Indian Railways, airport halt with a shuttle to the terminal) | 57 to 81 minutes on the KSR Majestic through runs, for example train 06531 from KSR Majestic at 4:55 AM into the airport at 6:10 AM, and train 16550 from the airport at 8:30 AM into KSR Majestic at 9:45 AM 7 published services into the airport and 7 out of it per day |
no fare published by the airport operator | The airport operator states that passengers can use a shuttle service between the railway station and the airport, synchronised with the train timings. Services start and end at KSR Majestic, Cantonment and Yelahanka. Byappanahalli, Devanahalli, Malleshwaram and Yeshwanthpur appear only as halts en route, so do not travel to one expecting a terminus. The last published departure out of the airport toward the city is train 06532 at 7:59 PM into KSR Majestic at 9:20 PM, so this is not a late-night option. The airport operator’s own note says the service is operated by Indian Railways and asks passengers to check the railway enquiry site for the updated schedule. |
| Airport taxi (BLR Airport Taxi and KSTDC) | not published by the airport operator not published |
not published by the airport operator: no tariff card, no flat rate and no fare estimate to the city appear on the airport taxi page | The airport lists four products: A/C taxis, BLR Airport Taxi including pink cars, Women Driven Taxi which is KSTDC only in an AC sedan, and Non A/C taxis which are KSTDC only. It names Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation as the operator and states the taxis carry GPS, GPRS and printing machines for tracking and billing, with online booking offered. The published booking line is +91-8044664466. Because no fare is published, agree the basis before you load the bags, as the Government of Canada travel advice says. |
| App taxi (Uber, Uber Black, Ola, Namma Yatri, Quick Ride) | not published by the airport operator not published |
app-priced; the airport publishes no fare | The airport operator names five app operators on its transport page and states that the Uber pickup zone at Kempegowda International Airport is designed to make your exit smooth, with Uber Go, Uber Premier and Uber XL among the options. The published Uber support line is +91-8030459575. No pickup bay number, no waiting time and no fare are published, so nothing is stated here about any of the three. |
| Intercity coach (KSRTC Flybus) | not published by the airport operator not published |
not published by the airport operator | The airport describes Flybus as an inter-city air-conditioned bus service offered by KSRTC between BLR Airport and cities in Karnataka and other South Indian states. On location this page states: currently BMTC operates from Terminal 2 MMTH mezzanine floor, there is a vehicle staging at Terminal 1, and pick-up and drop-off services are facilitated through Terminal 1. That sentence sits on the intercity bus page and names BMTC, so it is quoted here and not carried over to the Vayu Vajra row, which is a separate page with no boarding point of its own. The airport KSRTC helpline is 9972213726. Relevant to a layover mainly if your hotel is out of town. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Bengaluru, from the transport knot at Majestic to the restaurant streets out east
Majestic and Gandhi Nagar: The transport knot where the airport coaches, the intercity buses, the city railway station and the metro interchange all meet, busy at every hour and not a sightseeing district.
MG Road and Church Street: The central grid of cafes, bookshops and bars, compact enough to walk and the easiest first stop on a short window.
Indiranagar: Tree-lined residential streets that turned into the city’s restaurant and bar belt, east of the centre.
Malleswaram and Basavanagudi: Older Bengaluru: temple streets, filter coffee, and produce markets rather than nightlife.
Koramangala and HSR Layout: The startup end of town in the south east, useful mainly if your crew hotel or your meeting is already there.
What to Do on a Layover in Bengaluru, from a sit airside to a full day in the city
Under 5 hours: Stay airside. The airport is a long way out, the coach is the most frequent all-day option at a scheduled 70 minutes, but it is not the fastest: the operator’s train table schedules as little as 57 minutes to KSR Majestic, though trains run only seven times a day and need an unpublished shuttle between the halt and the terminal, and a short window does not survive the return traffic plus screening.
5 to 9 hours: One destination and one destination only. The KIAB-9 coach to Majestic and back is the clean move, with an hour or two in the centre in between. Pick the return departure off the timetable before you leave the terminal, not after.
9 hours plus: A real city run becomes possible: the centre plus one neighbourhood beyond it, and a proper meal. Watch the tail of the timetable, because most Vayu Vajra routes stop before midnight and the trains stop much earlier.
Crew Tips for Bengaluru and BLR Airport
Paying for the airport bus: The operator states only that Vayu Vajra accepts cash and UPI on boarding. The airport operator states that Vayu Vajra accepts both cash and UPI payments upon boarding the bus, and it repeats that as a standing note under the route search. Keep small notes on you if your phone is not set up for UPI.
Wi-Fi without an Indian SIM: Two routes, and only one of them works on a foreign handset with no roaming. With a local or international roaming SIM: connect to BLR_FREE_WIFI, tap Sign In, choose Local Phone Number, and finish with the OTP. Without one: find a WiFi Voucher Kiosk in the international arrivals area, scan the photo page of your passport and your boarding pass, collect the voucher, then connect to BLR_FREE_WIFI and enter the voucher code. If you have no boarding pass, the operator says to visit the virtual information desk for a WiFi PIN.
Taxis: what is published and what is not: The airport publishes the taxi products and the operator, and no price at all: no tariff card, no flat rate and no estimate to the city. So do not expect a posted fare to check against. Government of Canada advice for India covers the gap: at the airport use officially marked taxis or pre-paid transport services, negotiate fares in advance or insist that the driver uses the meter as you may be overcharged, avoid travelling alone especially at night, and do not share taxis with strangers.
Budget the return, not the outbound: The operator applies one fixed 70 minute allowance to every KIAB-9 run in both directions and at all hours, including the 00:10 night run and the 18:15 peak run, so peak running will exceed it, so a round trip to Majestic is 2 hours 20 minutes of riding before you have done anything. The last coach out of the airport on that route is 23:25 and the last one back toward the airport is 23:40, with extra runs toward the airport at 00:10 and 00:40. If your report time is early morning, the overnight coverage is thin: after 00:40 on KIAB-9 the published timetable does not restart until 06:10.
Medical cover at the terminal: The BLR Airport Medical Centre is open to passengers and the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, next to the Terminal 1 building, and the airport clinics are accessible to passengers around the clock. Terminal 1 is the Manipal Clinic on Level 1, up the escalator alongside counter 86, duty medical officer +91 9606954038. Terminal 2 is the Apollo Clinic on Level 3 in the departure area next to Gate 3, duty medical officer +91 8884122433. The operator also publishes +91 9606954037 for the Manipal centre duty medical officer.
Left luggage at BLR: The airport lists Left Luggage and Luggage Storage among its baggage services, so the service exists. It does not publish an opening time, a closing time, a location or a price on the pages that could be opened, and no estimate is given here in place of one. Ask at the baggage services counter before you commit to a plan that depends on dropping bags, and keep a fallback in mind if the counter is closed when you get back.
Emergency Numbers for Bengaluru, BLR Airport, and India
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Emergency, all services (ambulance, fire, police). For an ambulance, dial 112 and ask for one | 112 |
| Police, national number | 100 |
| Fire brigade, national number | 101 |
| Tourist helpline, Ministry of Tourism (the ministry also prints the short code 1363) | 1800 11 1363 |
| BLR Airport Medical Centre, Terminal 1 duty medical officer, clinics open 24/7 | +91 9606954038 |
| BLR Airport Medical Centre, Terminal 2 duty medical officer, clinics open 24/7 | +91 8884122433 |
| BLR Airport passenger helpline (BIAL) | 080-66785555 |
| India country code (calling from abroad) | +91 |
| Women Helpline, national, integrated with 112 | 181 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Bengaluru airport to the city centre?
Take the BMTC Vayu Vajra coach KIAB-9 to Kempegowda Bus Station, the central bus station known as Majestic. Every departure in the operator’s published timetable takes 70 minutes over 34.48 km, with stops at Hebbal, Mekri Circle and Shivananda Circle on the way, and the fare is INR 240 one way. You pay on board with cash or UPI, so there is no ticket to buy first.
How much is the airport bus in Bengaluru?
INR 240 one way on KIAB-9 to Kempegowda Bus Station. Other Vayu Vajra routes cost more or less depending on distance: KIAB-10 to Mysuru Road Bus Station is INR 250, KIAB-4 to HAL is INR 260, KIAB-5 to Banashankari is INR 270, and KIAB-8 to Electronic City is INR 330. Fares are paid in cash or by UPI when you board.
Does the metro go to Bengaluru airport?
No. BMRCL’s own project data lists timetables for the Purple, Green and Yellow lines only, and lists the Blue line section from Bagaluru Cross to KIA Terminal, 4 stations over 15.41 km, as an ongoing Phase 2B project rather than an operating one. The airport operator’s own transport page offers no metro option either. The KIAB-9 coach does end at Majestic, where Kempegowda Metro Station sits on the operating network.
What time does the last bus leave Bengaluru airport?
On KIAB-9 to Kempegowda Bus Station the last published departure from the airport is 23:25 and the first is 05:20. Other routes run later out of the airport, with departures at 23:30 and 23:35 and two after midnight at 00:05 and 00:30: KIAB-5 to Banashankari at 00:05 and KIAB-8 to Electronic City at 00:30. Going the other way, KIAB-9 leaves Kempegowda Bus Station for the airport at 00:10 and 00:40, then not again until 06:10, with the last run at 23:40.
Can you drink the tap water in Bengaluru?
No. The Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland advises travellers to India not to drink tap water, to avoid ice cubes, and to drink boiled water or bottled water with intact sealed caps. Government of Canada advice for India puts the same rule as boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it. No published verdict from the Bengaluru water utility could be confirmed, so none is quoted here. Buy bottled water and check that the cap seal is intact before you drink.
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