Brunei International Airport BWN

Brunei International Airport is currently undergoing a major upgrading of the passenger terminal. The terminal is rather dated and so the upgrade is welcomed.

The sight of the crane indicates the ongoing construction

A totally new facade

Currently only the Arrival concourse is open. Now it is a large, airy and pleasant area to meet and greet arriving passengers.

Meanwhile the departure check-in area is undergoing the finishing touches during my visit. Departing passengers are dropped-off on the upper level.

The departure drop-off area

The check-in area is bright and airy with a lot of natural light, keeping intrend with the current design of new terminal buildings around the world. This is certainly a huge improvement from the current cramped check-in area.

New departure 

Current departure area

Currently BWN is not the kind of airport where you would like to have a long transit. There is really NOTHING after passport control. The duty free area has really nothing as there is only perfume and chocolates on sale. F&B options is a small shop selling drinks or the saving grace...The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe. It has Wi-Fi and so it is the most busy corner of the holding area. However is you are lucky to fly First or Business, there is the RBA lounge.

The Coffee Bean cafe 

One end of the departure is area is undergoing a facelift and so I hope there will be more to keep passengers entertained once all is completed.

The current holding area

 Maybe once this is all done, BWN would be a more transit passenger friendly airport.

This is how it will look once phase 1 is completed

 The is no clear view of aircraft once in the departure area until you are called to the gate. For spotters, there is a viewing gallery on the landside of the terminal, so you have to do that before security and passport control.

The only time to get a close look is once at the gate

DLB which was my ride to BWN taken from the viewing gallery

Another shot from the viewing gallery

This is the second airport that I visited in November that was undergoing major renovation. The other was the Denpasar airport in Bali. That would be a beautiful airport once completed.