AAI to expand HAL airport

AAI to expand HAL airport

Under the project, the check-in area for the international passengers will be extended and multi-level car parking system would be introduced.

Deccan Herald

Notwithstanding the construction of the proposed international airport at Devanahalli, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to go ahead with minor expansion of the HAL airport in view of the steep growth in passenger traffic.

The check-in area for international passengers which now has barely 11-12 counters, will be expanded and spruced up to accommodate double this number of counters along with new technological features for computer terminals. The baggage holding and immigration areas too will see expansion and renovation.
Disclosing this to Deccan Herald, Airports Authority of India Chairman K Ramalingam said in the domestic section, the departure terminal will have a new air conditioning system. Besides this, the AAI has plans to introduce multi-level car parking system.

Bangalore airport’s in-charge director Vinay Ranjan Sena said: “We are at the planning stage now. Our plan is to create a good amount of space in the airport especially for international passengers.

Now under baggage handling, full luggage goes to the first floor of the airport and then comes back to the ground floor because of the lack of space. We will now be doing away with that system and use only the ground floor”. “Secondly, with at least five flights operating in the night, one after the other or some nearly together, there is heavy rush and the passengers find it hard to find space to even stand. So we are increasing the number of check-in counters from 11 besides three-four mobile counters, to about 19, although I want to make it 21,” he added.

CUTE system
Technologically too, the Bangalore airport will be upgraded. “We are introducing the CUTE system (Common User Terminal Equipment) where check-in of passengers can be done by any airline, one after the other. “For example, after check-in by an Air India flight passengers, Lufthansa passengers can be checked-in in the same computer and after it is completed, say, Malaysia Airlines can use the same terminal”, Mr Sena said. Bangalore will be among 16 other airports that have this system.

The airport will also have a new parking system. “The new system will have multi layer parking. Now there is space for about 500 cars which is not enough,” Mr Sena observed. Tenders for these different works will be floated in April and work would start in June to be completed by December. Bangalore airport’s international terminal handles about 1800 to 2000 passengers per day and the number is steadily increasing. In December 2004, the airport handled a total of 3.3 lakh passengers. (domestic and international), up from the 2.44 lakh it handled in December 2004.