Bangalore airport project gets in-principle clearances

Bangalore airport project gets in-principle clearances

The Hindu Business Line

BIAL to sign revised agreements with shareholders soon


Bangalore , June 8

The enlarged redesign of the Bangalore airport project has received all in-principle clearances. It now awaits the formal signing of the three amended agreements with the Central and the State Governments, according to the airport company CEO, Mr Albert Brunner.

BIAL expects to shortly sign the revised agreements with shareholders, with the Centre for the concession and with the State for the soft loan. Mr Brunner clarified that the basic ingredients of the original agreements remain, but have to mention the revised parts of phase 1.

Additional expense

The redesign involves an additional expense of Rs 530 crore, to be raised as additional debt over the earlier project cost of Rs 1411 crore. The airport is being built by the public-private combine of Siemens, L&T, Unique Zurich, AAI and the KSIIDC.

Earlier, Mr Brunner updated the Deputy Chief Minister and Infrastructure Minister, Mr B.S.Yediyurappa, and the media who visited the 4,000-acre project site, 40 km from the city.

Redesigning under way

Construction of the redesigned portions is in progress and 23 per cent of the work has been completed since construction began in July 2005. The new airport, slated to open in April 2008, will have a capacity to handle 11 million passengers.

Construction of 2500 m of the runway and 2000 m of the taxiway are under way. At the terminal building, which is among the expanded portions, concreting of the ground floor slab and the columns above ground floor is in progress. Concreting of the air traffic control tower is on.

Civil works are under way for administration office block, all the ancillary buildings and for the equipment housing. Manufacturing is in progress for the passenger boarding bridges, equipment for the baggage handling system, the various high tensions electrical equipment and the public address system.