Airport project gains speed

BIAL hands over site for fuel facility
Airport project gains speed
Deccan Herald

Groundwork on the site is progressing on schedule. Columns of the terminal building are being concreted along with the mezzanine floor slab and basement retaining wall.

Work on the Devanahalli international airport is gathering more pace, with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) handing over the first concessionaire site for the aviation fuel facility. India Oil Corporation, Indian Oiltanking Ltd and Skytanking Gmbh are the aviation fuel concessionaires attached to the project.

Groundwork on the site is progressing on schedule. Columns of the terminal building are being concreted along with the mezzanine floor slab and basement retaining wall. Pre-cast roof mould elements are being installed at the terminal building, according to a monthly progress report of the BIAL.

Major concreting works at the Air Traffic Control Technical Block have been completed, while work on the foundation concreting for the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) building and maintenance buildings is on. Cut-and-fill work on 4,000 metres of the four-km runway, Granular Sub Base (GSB) laying works in the runway and taxiways and earthworks on the apron are in progress. Meanwhile, the secondary access road to the greenfield airport is also gathering shape.

Redesign phase

The redesign phase of the nearly Rs 1,500-crore airport will progress in the coming weeks, during which the BIAL Board is expected to give the final go-ahead. The Board had earlier this month agreed to the redesign in principle.

According to sources in BIAL, the new design will have a larger terminal, more aircraft stands, new taxiway layouts and landside infrastructure.

They said the change in design would not postpone the airport’s proposed April 2008 opening.

The design alterations are expected to cost an additional Rs 400 crore.

The Board also cleared the partner evaluation for ground handling and cargo as proposed by the management. Three consortia, SATS /Air India, Bobba Group/Menzies Aviation and Swissport International/Cargo Service Center, were picked as the top three ranked groups for cargo. The agreement with the cargo partners is expected to be concluded by the end of April, BIAL sources said.