‘Pressure on HAL airport is mounting’

‘Pressure on HAL airport is mounting’
The Times of India

Bangalore: The density of increasing air traffic coupled with rising passenger capacity, presently five million, is mounting pressure on the Bangalore airport which is facing terminal and baggage area constraints.

At a lecture on ‘air traffic control - an overview’, deputy general manager HAL, S R Iyer said though facilities are being upgraded at the airport, “Bangalore (airport) is now feeling the pressure.’’

On the international airport coming up near Devanahalli, Iyer said its first phase can handle a passenger capacity of 4.5 million as against an estimated eight million by then. The passenger capacity has seen an increase of 26 per cent in the last five years, he added.

Bangalore’s ATC, which is the third busiest in the country handling over 260 movements including civil and military aircraft also faces constraints like lack of accurate advance information about test and military flights apart from handling varied aircraft speed, large number of satellite airfields and test flying.

Upgradation of secondary surveillance radars and free flight concept will help better the situation, he felt.