Big challenge for BIAL as airlines project 40 per cent traffic growth

Big challenge for BIAL as airlines project 40 per cent traffic growth

Rasheed Kappan

April 2008 is deadline fixed for Bangalore international airport’s launch

Private airlines want to improve city’s air connectivity

BANGALORE: This can be the toughest challenge yet for the Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) project at Devanahalli. Projecting a 40 per cent annual growth in air traffic, airlines are gearing to boost their fleet and connectivity immediately after BIAL takes off next April. BIAL’s enhanced capacity to handle 10.5 million passengers a year might just prove too little too late.

The signs are ominous. Despite its strained infrastructure, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) airport witnessed 43.7 per cent growth in annual passenger traffic last year. “From 5.6 million passengers in 2005-06, the traffic grew to 8.12 million in 2006-07,” a top Airports Authority of India (AAI) official told The Hindu. At AAI’s last monthly coordination meeting, private airlines reportedly revealed their plans to increase the number of flights to and from Bangal ore and add new destinations. Airlines that had started off with only two or three flights a week have introduced daily flights. State-owned aviation major HAL had asked many airlines to put expansion plans on hold because of the acute space crunch at its airport.

HAL airport handles 330 takeoffs and landings a day, generating daily passenger traffic of 27,000. The number of domestic flights registered 36.6 per cent growth last year. Compared to 61,403 flights in 2005-06, the airport handled 83,880 scheduled flights in 2006-07.

The number of international flights to and from Bangalore was 8,277 in 2005-06. That grew by 27.1 per cent to touch 10,518 in 2006-07.

International carriers operated bigger aircraft and generated more passengers.

Of the global airlines, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Gulfair, Sri Lankan, Thai Airways, British Airways, Nok Air and Lufthansa operate daily flights, while Malaysian Airlines flies six times a week. Air India has the maximum of 18 flights in a week to and from Bangalore. With at least five more global airlines keen to include Bangalore in their network, the passenger volume can rise significantly at Devanahalli.

Sources said more international airlines had set their eyes on BIAL but were yet to approach the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation.

International flights pose another taxing problem for the HAL airport. “For every passenger going abroad, there are at least 10 visitors seeing him/her off.

This adds to the traffic and congestion,” said an AAI official. . Big challenge for BIAL as airlines project 40 per cent traffic growth

Rasheed Kappan

April 2008 is deadline fixed for Bangalore international airport’s launch

Private airlines want to improve city’s air connectivity

BANGALORE: This can be the toughest challenge yet for the Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) project at Devanahalli. Projecting a 40 per cent annual growth in air traffic, airlines are gearing to boost their fleet and connectivity immediately after BIAL takes off next April. BIAL’s enhanced capacity to handle 10.5 million passengers a year might just prove too little too late.

The signs are ominous. Despite its strained infrastructure, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) airport witnessed 43.7 per cent growth in annual passenger traffic last year. “From 5.6 million passengers in 2005-06, the traffic grew to 8.12 million in 2006-07,” a top Airports Authority of India (AAI) official told The Hindu. At AAI’s last monthly coordination meeting, private airlines reportedly revealed their plans to increase the number of flights to and from Bangal ore and add new destinations. Airlines that had started off with only two or three flights a week have introduced daily flights. State-owned aviation major HAL had asked many airlines to put expansion plans on hold because of the acute space crunch at its airport.

HAL airport handles 330 takeoffs and landings a day, generating daily passenger traffic of 27,000. The number of domestic flights registered 36.6 per cent growth last year. Compared to 61,403 flights in 2005-06, the airport handled 83,880 scheduled flights in 2006-07.

The number of international flights to and from Bangalore was 8,277 in 2005-06. That grew by 27.1 per cent to touch 10,518 in 2006-07.

International carriers operated bigger aircraft and generated more passengers.

Of the global airlines, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Gulfair, Sri Lankan, Thai Airways, British Airways, Nok Air and Lufthansa operate daily flights, while Malaysian Airlines flies six times a week. Air India has the maximum of 18 flights in a week to and from Bangalore. With at least five more global airlines keen to include Bangalore in their network, the passenger volume can rise significantly at Devanahalli.

Sources said more international airlines had set their eyes on BIAL but were yet to approach the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation.

International flights pose another taxing problem for the HAL airport. “For every passenger going abroad, there are at least 10 visitors seeing him/her off.

This adds to the traffic and congestion,” said an AAI official. .