BIAL says it can host the A380

Can the big bird spread its wings?-BIAL says it can

Vijay Times

Bangalore: The planned international airport at Devanahalli may well be built to accommodate the largest passenger aircraft A-380's flight operations with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) acknowledging the need for a revision based on proper assessment to meet prevailing and future aviation needs.

Presently, the Devanahalli airport has been planned only to meet the needs of 747s.
However, while the 4,000- metre runway of the new international airport "is enough" for A-380s to takeoff and landing, the width could be marginally expanded to suit the massive 79.8m (261ft 10inches) wingspan of the aircraft, BIAL CEO, Albert Brunner, told Vijay Times.

The planned runway width is 60 metres; an A-380 will require a width of 75 metres. "If any of the airlines plan to bring the A-380 here, we will have to accommodate it," he said, indicating BIAL is ready for such a development.
BIAL is developing only about half of the 3,900 -acre land earmarked for the airport, so there is much scope for expansion, Brunner said.

According to aviation experts, though A-380 can fly distances over 10,000 miles, the plane's utility would not be limited to only long-haul flights. For instance, many flights within Japan are among the highest in passenger capacity and would be well suited for A-380 service, despite their short distances.

With two A-380s being ordered by a fledgling airline in India, these could serve transporting large number of passenger between well-developed airports connecting the metros with Bangalore, they said.

The A-380 faces significant challenges on the ground. To integrate into existing airports, the A-380 must fit the standard airport-docking plan.

BIAL has built-in cost over-runs which could include revisions like upgradations to meet requirements of an A-380 operating from the new airport. The Rs 1,411.8 crore airport project will be financed by ICICI Bank (52.1 per cent), state support from Karnataka with a bank guarantee in the form of an interest-free loan (24.8 per cent) and equity from all shareholders (23.1 per cent).