Bharat Rakshak

The State government has decided to set up a House Committee to look into the alleged violation of terms and conditions by the Bangalore International Airport Limited ( BIAL) during the construction of the Bengaluru International Airport.

Members in the Legislative Assembly, cutting across party affiliations, on Thursday alleged that the construction work of the new airport was “substandard”.

Minister for Infrastructure and Tourism Janardhana Reddy announced the setting up of the committee, bowing to the demand of the members.

D K Shivakumar of the Congress, who raised the issue, said the new airport was worse than a bus stand. “There is no seating arrangement, public toilets and VIP lounge. It is in total disarray.”

Though the government had allotted around 4,000 acres of valuable land, given tax exemptions to the tune of several hundred crores and free water and power supply, the quality of work is substandard. The Bangalore airport is nothing compared to the Hyderabad airport, he said.

“BIAL has purposely not put out enough chairs for visitors so that they would all go to the cafe. Thousands of air travellers are facing utmost inconvenience every day. It is high time the government intervenes and rectifies the lapses,” he said.

The government should cancel the agreement for further expansion, or renegotiate it. If not, this airport will stand as the biggest tragedy of the IT capital, he said.

Opposition leader Mallikharjuna Kharge said BIAL was becoming a sort of NICE company. BIAL is indulging in real estate business and has violated all conditions in the agreement signed with both the State and the Central governments, he said.

To the surprise of the Opposition members, Janardhana Reddy said he completely agreed with their views and seconded their demand for rectifying the lapses.

The House Committee will comprise members from both the ruling and Opposition parties.

Suppiah wrote:If anyone expects the land to be 'handed back to state' they can wait for next millenium or until the humble farmers return their share of looted bribes and benami property to the state. The fact that someone has plundered billions using mines does not mean they will not stoop to plunder more from elsewhere. If being satisfied with what they have earned through sincere efforts has been their motto in life, they would not have looted using mines and purchasing entire parties, in the first place. Anyway no law can do anything about it, this is something that only Naxals can settle.

Last trip (few days back) I saw they have added a few chairs outside and some of them under the rain/sun are being added. But phones are still considered a needless luxury, perhaps because they are yet to find a mechanism to plunder something out of telecom revenue.

Taxi operators are already protesting that only 'recognised' (read as those that pass share of revenue) operators are allowed to pick up passengers and hence most others have to go back empty, increasing their costs and reducing choice to customers. I am yet to land in an airport where this sort of thing goes on. For instance KLIA has dedicated taxi services that are priced fairly (and not twice the market) and yet regular taxis are allowed to pick up passengers from separate queue.

BTW is the concession agreement public document? It should be an interesting read.

A friend just flew to Siam Reap airport in Cambodia and he feels it is a lot better. Shame on our looters.

Rishirishi wrote: I feel that the critism is a bit hard.

Suppiah wrote:
A friend just flew to Siam Reap airport in Cambodia and he feels it is a lot better. Shame on our looters.

Suppiah wrote:

Rishirishi wrote: I feel that the critism is a bit hard.

I agree there is a bit of exaggeration there but I presumed by now readers know my ishtyle and apply suitable filters.

Having said that, I think 7 is also quite high, unless you assume that 50 odd check-in counters squeezed in the space used for 10 such counters elsewhere (sometimes when the counter number is two digits, the labels are practically next to each other) and various others 'economisation' on space, no phones, about as many toilets in total as Changi has for a single gate, about twice the usage charge as SIN/HKG despite much higher costs there, the assumption that intl flights will never overlap with domestic hence space can be recycled perpetually, etc., etc., is perfectly acceptable, when you have been gifted 4,000 acres to profit from various activities other than aviation. Had I or anyone on this forum, or for that matter any patient in the Bangalore mental hopsital had been given that gift, we could have easily banked that project and built something much better.

Delhi: New runway trials from Aug 21
12 Aug 2008, 0802 hrs IST,TNN
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IGI airport's new runway is almost set for commercial operations. As reported earlier by Times of India, proving flights — flights without passengers meant for carrying out trials — will land on the runway on August 21, in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. Henceforth, commercial operations will start in another week, depending on air traffic control clearances.

The new runway, being looked forward to in the face of rising air traffic and growing congestion over Delhi, will enhance the flight handling capacity of the airport from the current about 35 flights per hour to about 55-65 flights. That's another thing that with rising aviation turbine fuel costs; several airlines have cut down on their total flights. However, congestion remains as bad as ever, with an average hovering time of 35-45 minutes during peak hours.

"We are much ahead of schedule and the runway will be operational a good eight months before its deadline," said I Prabhakar Rao, chief development officer, Delhi International Airport (P) Ltd (DIAL). "CISF has earmarked places where it would like 11 towers. It will be taking over the security of the area very soon. Last Saturday, senior officials of the directorate general of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India came down for a surprise check and were satisfied with the preparations," he added.

The 4.4-km long new runway is probably one of the longest in Asia and capable of handling wide bodied aircrafts like A-380 s and Antonov An-225. Calibration work on navigational aids is almost over and according to sources, work on calibrating the instrument landing system for one side of the runway remains to be completed.

The only concern expressed by airlines and AAI officials was the huge amount of earth that has been piled up next to the runway. "While this may not have a direct impact on flights, we are expecting visibility to start decreasing on the runway by end-September when it would have stopped raining and pollution levels in the city would go up," said sources.

Airlines have also expressed apprehension over the taxiing time from the domestic apron to the new runway but DIAL officials said that a connecting taxiway would probably also be built towards the Vasant Kunj side in a later phase of development. "At present, a connecting taxiway between the main and new runways has been built towards the Dwarka side. Another one towards Vasant Kunj is being planned for later years," said DIAL officials.

DOING THE GROUND WORK

SPECIFICATIONS

Name: 11-29

Length: 4,430 mt

Breadth: 75 mt

Total length of taxiways: 15 km

Thickness: 2 mt with 7 layers of filling, concrete base and asphalt concrete

HIGHLIGHTS
• Longest runway in India Built according to code F standards to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft like A-380 and Antonov AN-225 To have CAT-III landing facilities at both ends, making Delhi the only airport in India to have twin runways with the facility at both ends Use of 2.3 million cubic meters of earthwork and embankment filling. Enough to fill a 210km-long freight train.
• 6.5 lakh tonnes of asphalt concrete used. Enough to build a 75km-long six-lane expressway.


EQUIPMENT USED
• 8 vibratory soil compactors from Germany for embankments of sub-grade of runway.
• 10 electronic sensor pavers from Germany for laying the surface. They can lay a surface of 250 mm thickness at 144 mt per hour.

Let us analyse the potential for Chennai airport. The airport expansion area is located at a lower level than the main runway and the proposed parallel runway. The main runway elevation is around 13 metres above sea level and the parallel runway will be at an elevation of 11 metres. The current secondary runway is sloped downward from the main runway and it has to cross the Adyar river which has an elevation of 2 metres.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation standards require the runway surface to be at a minimum height of 1 metre over the highest flood level across a water body.

If the secondary runway’s level is not raised sufficiently, it is going to be flooded in any heavy rain condition. It will also mean that aircraft will not be able to reach or use the parallel runway. People have forgotten what happened to Chennai airport during the deluge in 2005.

This becomes a Catch-22 situation. If the AAI does not raise the level of the secondary runway to meet ICAO standards, the secondary runway and the parallel runway will become unusable! If it does raise the level, the cost of the whole project is likely to multiply several times, which has not been budgeted for.

The Chembarambakkam lake overflow is through the Adyar river. If the flow area is restricted by the secondary runway or blocked to a large extent, the flooding on the west, south and south-east areas are going to be extensive.
Growth Projections

The whole programme is based on the inflated growth figures given out by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Unfortunately, the scene has changed completely, with the rise in oil prices. In an article in April, when crude was hovering around $100 a barrel,

I had pointed out that the airlines are not taking the cost of fuel into account and the projections are likely to crumble. Oil prices are not likely to drop below $100 a barrel in the next year or so.

The airline numbers in India are likely to fall below the 50 per cent mark and the traffic potential in Chennai could drop drastically.

All the airlines in India are in consolidation mode. Air Sahara and Air Deccan have been gobbled up. And it may just be a matter of time before the other smaller airlines are taken over by bigger players. The low-cost carrier concept in India is a misnomer.

Except for the snacks and food, there is no difference in operations costs. One has to pay all the charges — import duty, leasing cost, landing charges, etc.
Cost of Expansion

The AAI has stated that 80 per cent of the Chennai Airport expansion cost will be funded from its own kitty and it will borrow from the market the other 20 per cent. The latest monetary policy spelt out by the RBI is going to make this an expensive exercise.

The AAI has also lost a big chunk of its income source from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Even the private players that invested in these airports, based on the inflated traffic projections, are feeling the heat.

There is a question mark as to what will be the recovery period of the high investments. India does not even have a clear cut Civil Aviation policy. It keeps changing, day by day, at the whims and fancies of the Government in place.

Let us take the average aircraft movements in Chennai airport. The AAI pitches for the extension of the secondary runway and the building of the parallel runway, to increase the capacity to 50 movements an hour.

In January 2008, when traffic was at its peak, Chennai had a maximum of 28 movements an hour. This was during the peak hours and for just three hours in a day.

The rest of the day, the average hardly made double digits. It has been pointed out that a traffic capacity of 50 can be achieved with proper air traffic management and efficient ground structure design.

A former senior member of the Airports Authority has stated that Chennai airport, at the present location, is incapable of taking the additional passenger facility for 50 movements in an hour.

So, even if there are runways to cater to aircraft movement, there is not enough space to build the additional infrastructure required to handle all the passengers.

All airlines have cut the frequency of operations. Air travel between Chennai and nearby airports such as Bangalore, Coimbatore and Hyderabad has dropped drastically because of the costs and the time factor.

The door-to-door time taken to travel between Chennai and Bangalore by air takes almost five hours now. The cost has also escalated to almost Rs 6,000, including the taxi fare at both ends.

Train travel, without any hassles of security or baggage allowance, takes just an additional hour and the cost is just a tenth. One can travel very comfortably by the Shatabdi Express for just Rs 600!

Personal egos seem to override logic and reason in Indian aviation. Posterity will tell if the expansion programme of Chennai airport is a viable project or a white elephant.
(The author is an airline captain with 35 years flying experience.)

New Delhi | Thursday, Aug 14 2008 IST

The Government today approved the modernisation and expansion of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,942.51 crore.

The work, which is expected to be completed within 30 months, will result in an additional handling capacity of 20 million passengers per annum (mppa), a Civil Aviation Ministry release said. {commie union leaders should not be allowed to come near the construction work. else even after 30 years the project will not be completed}

The airport will be upgraded to international standards. The secondary runway will be extended and made suitable for operations of large commercial aircraft, the navigation facilities at the airport will also be upgraded, additional parking space and taxiways will be created to facilitate parking and movement of aircraft, and the road and rail connectivity of the airport with the city will be improved.

In the existing airport, the domestic terminal has a capacity to handle 4.06 mppa and the international terminal 0.88 mppa. Thus, both the terminal are saturated. The proposed new integrated building of 1.80,000 sq. meter area will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,617.51 crore and will be able to handle 20 mppa.

The existing domestic terminal building will continue to be used with appropriate modifications and faade treatment. The combined terminal building of 24.06 mppa capacity is expected to get saturated in 2015-16. The total project cost is estimated to be Rs 1,942.51 crores, including extension of the secondary runway to a total length of 3239 meters at an estimated cost of Rs 35 crore, construction of 11 additional parking base for aircraft as well as taxi at an estimated cost of Rs 65 crore, upgradation of CNS equipment at an estimated cost of Rs 185 crore, and construction of grade separator and connectivity to railway structure at an estimated cost of Rs 40 crore.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will fund 80 per cent of the project cost (Rs 1,554 crore) through internal resources and the balance 20 per cent (Rs 388.51 crore) through commercial borrowings. AAI had already spent Rs 32 crore in 2007-08 towards consultancy and other preparatory work for the Airport.

In April 2007, the Committee on Infrastructure headed by the Prime Minister had decided that the Kolkata Airport would be developed to international standards by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) with its own resources. In August 2007, the AAI submitted the proposal for the Public Investment Board (PIB) approval.

In October 2007, an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) cleared the proposal, and in December 2007, the Planning Commission accorded in-principle approval for the development of NSCBI Airport, Kolkata. The Ministry for Environment gave approval to the project in March, 2008.

New Delhi | Thursday, Aug 14 2008 IST

The Government today cleared the proposal for the modernisation and expansion of Chennai Airport, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,808 crore. The work, which is expected to be completed within 26 months, will result in an additional handling capacity of 14 million passengers per annum (mppa).

The airport will be upgraded to international standards-- the secondary runway will be extended and made suitable for operations of large commercial aircraft, and additional parking space and taxiways created to facilitate parking and movement of aircraft, a Civil Aviation Ministry release said. The Public Investment Board had approved the proposal of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) last month.

According to the proposal, the secondary runway will be extended by 832 metre, to make a total runway length of 2917 metre, across Adyar river into 130 acres of additional land provided by the State Government. The extension of the secondary runway and construction of culvert over the Adyar is expected to cost Rs 310 crore. A parallel taxiway is to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 150 crore.

Other construction works such as 10 additional base and related development is expected to cost Rs 75 crore. The project involves an expenditure of Rs 535 crore on airside works. With the proposed expansion, the airside capacity is expected to increase to 50 movements per hour as against the present capacity of 25 movements per hour.

A domestic terminal building to handle 10 mppa is being constructed in addition to the existing domestic terminal to enable the airport to handle 16 mppa on the domestic side. The international terminal building is also proposed to be extended to cater to an additional four mppa.

The airport will thus be able to cater to seven mppa on the international side. A total of Rs 1,077.16 crore is estimated to be spent on the new domestic terminal, extension of the international terminal and facelift of the existing international and domestic terminals. The car park will also be extended to a multi-level car parking, in front of the respective terminals, at an estimated cost of Rs 195.84 crore.

The project envisages improved city-side connectivity of the airport in coordination with the State Government, Railways, NHAI and Chennai Metro. The extended international terminal building is expected to saturate in 2017-18 and the combined domestic terminal building will saturate in 2012-13.

The project completion period is estimated to be 20 months for airside works and 26 months from terminal building works, from the date of award of work.

The AAI will fund 80 per cent of the project cost -- Rs 1,446.4 crore -- through internal resources, and balance 20 per cent -- Rs 361.6 crore -- through commercial borrowings. The AAI has already spent Rs 20.35 crore towards consultancy and other preparatory work during 2007-08.

Asked how the modernisation programme will tackle the problem of the secondary runway in Chennai getting flooded during the rains, senior AAI officials said that the new runway being constructed will be above the flood water levels.

Besides, the modernisation programme also calls for construction of a culvert over the Adyar river to overcome the flooding problem.

The extension of the secondary runway by 832 metres and construction of the culvert alone are estimated to cost of Rs 310 crore, officials said.

Air India curtails freebies as cost-cutting regime comes into effect
Press Trust Of India / Mumbai August 17, 2008, 15:18 IST

Air India staff will hereafter not be allowed go on foreign tours unless it is "absolutely essential" and that too only with the permission of its Chairman and Managing Director.

"Foreign tours should be undertaken only for absolutely essential purposes. All foreign tours henceforth should be scrutinised at the functional director level and recommended to the Chairman only in respect of critical cases," an Air India circular signed by its Chairman and Managing Director, Raghu Menon, said.

With its losses mounting to Rs 2,100-crore and with air turbine fuel prices on the rise, the national air-carrier has been forced to resort to cost-cutting measures to boost its sagging bottomline.

Air India is expected to implement a rigorous cost-cutting regime based on the recommendations of its Finance Department which was presented before its Board a couple of months ago.

The circular said that foreign travel should be restricted to the bare minimum number of persons who are operationally required to travel and that "accomodation at overseas stations should as far as possible be at crew hotels where facility of lower room-charges is available."

Airline staff has also been instructed to travel only by economy class which offer lower fares.

Times of India wrote: 17 Aug 2008, 1052 hrs IST,PTI

MUMBAI: Vijay Mallya-spearheaded Kingfisher Airlines, plans to launch its first international flight on September 3 with a direct Bangalore-London flight.

"The countdown has begun. We are all set to fly to London from Bangalore on September 3," a Kingfisher Airlines official said.

The airline has already secured permission to fly to 13 overseas destinations.

A senior DGCA official confirmed the granting of permission to the airline to conduct overseas operations.

Kingfisher now plans to launch flights to the US, UK, UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Hong Kong.

"We are fully geared up for our London flight scheduled for September 3," the Kingfisher official said, adding schedules for the other destinations are presently being fine-tuned.

Kingfisher plans to deploy an Airbus 330-200 on the Bangalore-London sector.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had last month granted permission to Deccan Aviation Limited to fly to 13 countries from August 26, the day the airline would be completing the mandatory five years of domestic operations to become eligible for overseas operations.

Kingfisher and Deccan Aviation, originally promoted by Captain Gopinath, have now merged.

Under normal circumstances, Kingfisher would have to wait for two more years to complete the five-year term mandatory to become eligible for overseas flying.

But now, following the merger with Deccan, the Government has allowed Kingfisher to fly overseas under both brands-Simplyfy Deccan and Kingfisher.

For the last two years, aviation in India has been misled by falsehood. The Minister of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have, time and again, stated that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) considered India to be among the top two nations in the world as far as flight safety is concerned.

This argument was used by the Ministry to overlook persons with exemplary track record in aviation safety in the department. The truth came out in the safety oversight audit conducted by the ICAO.

ICAO Safety Audit

The ICAO conducted a safety audit during October 10-20, 2006. When it submitted the report, the preamble had a very significant statement: “The audit results, including the findings and recommendations contained in this report, reflect the capabilities and limitations of the civil aviation system of India as assessed by the audit team. They are thus based on evidence gathered during interviews conducted by the audit team with India’s technical experts and background information provided by such personnel, review and analysis of civil aviation legislation, specific regulations, related documentation and file records.

“Considering the time that was available to conduct the audit and the fact that the safety oversight audit team members could only review and analyse information and documentation made available by the State, it is possible that some safety concerns may not have been identified during the audit.”

In the accompanying chart (http:// www.icao.int/fsix/auditRep3_CSA.cfm?s=India&i=80 ), which does not provide the complete picture of the contents in the report, there is enough cause for alarm for those involved with aviation.

Below world ‘average’

In two of the most important profiles, India has been found to be well below the world ‘average’. On a scale of 10, India has scored a mere two (just a number above ‘Not Implemented’) for Technical Personnel Qualification and Training and just four for Civil Aviation System and Safety oversight. It is unfortunate that a country whose aviation sector is among the fastest growing should be so backward as far as safety is concerned.

When the findings of the audit team were submitted to the DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, a compliance report was submitted by the Government with a definite timeframe. The ICAO accepted, in good faith, the commitment given by our aviation brass. Unfortunately, this “trust’ has been undermined.

One of the significant findings of the audit team was the minimum number of Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) that the DGCA required, for carrying out the operational safety audit and oversight of all the airlines in India.

Based on the number of airlines, aircraft, crew, etc., the audit team had spelt out that India needed 14 FOIs; at the time of the audit, the DGCA had just one inspector!

In its compliance report, the DGCA had confirmed that the required number of FOIs will be appointed by March 10, 2007.

But as on August 1, 2008, there are just three inspectors for fixed wing aircraft and one for helicopters.

Without the required number of Operations Inspectors to carry out the safety audit, it would be unsafe to take to the skies.

Another significant point that the audit team made was with regard to ICAO’s requirement of licensing of foreign pilots. Here again, the DGCA had given a compliance note confirming that all the ICAO rules will by complied with by March 10, 2007.

The US regularised the age of 60 for pilots only on December 12, 2007, when the President, Mr George W. Bush, signed the order. Until then, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) licence-holders above the age of 60 were not allowed to fly as airline pilots carrying passengers; they were only authorised to fly cargo and general aviation flights. This was repeatedly pointed out to the DGCA. Yet, these warnings have been ignored and, more importantly, the DGCA allowed those pilots to fly Indian registered passenger aircraft.

The audit team’s assessment on the ‘qualification and training’ standards should make all those connected with aviation hang their heads in shame. The audit team is particularly critical of the personnel in the Air Traffic Management System.

A recent DGCA report reveals that between April 2007 and March 2008 there were 14 accidents, of which eight were serious ones, and 979 aircraft-safety-related incidents that included 26 dangerous airplane proximity incidents while in the air and 201 bird strikes.

Safety for all

Safety standards must be ensured not for VIPs alone but for all passengers. In this context, one is reminded of Murphy’s law, which states: “In nature, nothing is ever right. Therefore, if everything is going right...something is wrong.”

The reason why the safety culture in the US and the western world is so strong is because the judiciary comes down hard on infringements. The fear of lawsuits and heavy penalties keep the system and the airlines on their toes.

If the Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA want to be transparent, let them publish the ICAO audit report in full. People can judge for themselves if “truth and trust” were honoured.

To quote Gandhiji again: “An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it.”

(The author is an airline captain with 35 years of flying experience.)

SSridhar wrote:Viable Project or White Elephant ? - Capt. Ranganathan

The Captain asks good questions as usual.

A commercially oriented machine, without heart or soul Business sense

‘Small thinking has sunk in in the infrastructure at BIA’

Chairs in the international departure area are uncomfortable

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BAD PLANNING: A view of departure lounge at Bengaluru International Airport.

Reading, day in, day out of the challenges facing Bangalore’s spanking new international airport, one begins to wonder whether proximity to a few hundred information technology companies might not have rubbed off on the airport as well, afflicting it with this high tech disease: instant obsolescence.

In normal circumstances, it would seem to be a fairly bizarre situation, when a new facility like an airport which is presumably planned by experts reaches the limit of its rated capacity on the very day it opens — or so we are told by the many committees that are bending their minds to the question: How do you solve a problem like BIA? Clearly it cannot be solved so smoothly as the problem like Maria, that enthralled us in our younger days in The Sound of Music.

Having passed through the airport a day after it was opened — and about half a dozen times since then, I emboldened to share with readers, my theory of why people continue to grumble and curse when talking about what should be the pride of India’s Silicon City. The issue is not a few overflowing trash cans, or leaky toilets or aerobridges with teething problems. All that can be changed. But attitude cannot.

I am coming round to the belief that the airport was conceived and executed by small minds, who either lacked the vision of what the mature, internationally savvy passengers who patronise the airlines serving Bangalore came to expect — or just decided that the interests of their shareholders would be best served by getting away with the narrowest definition of contractual responsibilities… and cutting every corner in sight.

Here are some examples: The pre-boarding waiting areas is where passengers, especially on international flights, tend to spend most of their time in airports — up to 2 hours is common. So world over, designers provide the most comfortable seating they can. The new Terminal 5 at Heathrow has invested in a number of corners with literally “sink in” sofas in which one can cacoon oneself in comfort. Incheon, Korea; Changi Singapore, the new Hong Kong airport on Lantau island, are all examples of thoughtful seating. But at BIA, they have standardised on a particularly hard and unyielding upright chair that will have you squirming within a few minutes. There are, in my experience, only two international airports worse in this respect — Bangkok’s Suvarnabhoomi, where they have gone all metal, and Frankfurt, that has created a unique torture instrument: a rounded metal bar on which one is expected to balance one’s posterior. Is this a German thing? BIA after all is part owned by Zurich Airport and that reputed name Siemens — both bywords for efficiency and quality. BIA is a poor showcase for your brand, mein damen und herrn.

Elsewhere, small thinking has sunk in — literally — into the infrastructure. You will be hard pressed to find smaller display boards for flight information, anywhere in the world. They have made do, with standard home theatre sized LCD TV screens, which cannot be read (at least by me) without spectacles. And at that size, they are unable to display enough lines and cannot show a departure that is just an hour away. This is a disgrace by any international standards. After a hue and cry about lack of public phones, they have stuck a few portable coin operated phones among the departure gates — the type your corner grocery store keeps on the counter.

This is the IT capital of India: It would have sent a splendid signal to the world, if arriving passengers found a few computer terminals with free Internet to check their mails. You can see them in Hong Kong, and in some 20 locations in Changi, Singapore — with two at every departure gate.

One could go on and on… Bangalore has waited for over a decade for a decent airport that measured up to the splendid image that its IT industry has created for India. What it has got is a cold, commercially oriented machine, without heart or soul. It may work — just — but it will never thrill. We deserved better.

ANAND PARTHASARATHY

AAI says BIA is saturated

Staff Reporter

Runway to reach that stage by 2011

There are 42 bays for aircraft and the demand is for 41

A top-level AAI team submitted a status report

BANGALORE: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has said that the peak hour traffic at international wing (terminal) of the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli near here will be saturated by 2009 while it has already reached saturation point in case of domestic wing.

It says the terminal has reached saturation point as BIA has an integrated terminal comprising domestic and international departure/arrival wings.

This finding has been given by the AAI in its “Report on Capacity Assessment and Study of BIAL”.

A team of AAI officials from its Directorate of Corporate Planning and Management Sciences (CP and MS) comprising D.P. Singh (General Manager-CP and MS), D.P. Singh (GM), Ms. Madhu Batre, Jt. GM, V. Krishnan (senior manager) and A. Pai (senior manager) had undertaken the study of BIA between June 16 and June 18.
Car parking

AAI says the car parking facility is adequate for the next five years. The commercial car parking lot has 2,000 parking slots for cars and 75 stands for coaches.

In addition, there are stands for parking 1,200 cars belonging to the staff.

The peak hour runway capacity is 32 movements (of aircraft) against the current projected demand of 25 movements per hour. The runway is likely to reach saturation point by 2011.

There are now 42 aircraft parking bays as against the current demand for 41 bays. The report says 30 more bays are under construction and once they are completed, the bays are sufficient to meet the demand for the next five years.

Import cargo section is near saturation while export and domestic cargo bays have adequate capacities. Import cargo wing should have been allocated higher area in preference to dwell time. The report says import cargo capacity is 65,300 tonnes a year, domestic 56,548, export 2,28,000 and domestic 51,507 tonnes a year.

During 2007-08, BIA handled 10.12 million passengers, of which 1.55 million were international passengers and 8.57 million domestic travellers.

The report says BIA is the fourth busiest airport in India.

It says during the last five years, Bangalore air traffic has recorded a compound annual growth rate of 33.4 per cent for international travel and 29 per cent for domestic travel.

RaviBg wrote:A commercially oriented machine, without heart or soul Business sense

Suppiah wrote:After all that they usually smuggle in another suitcase as 'hand-baggage' creating problem at the boarding gate.