Bangalore airport to see light of day in 8 months

Bangalore airport to see light of day in 8 months
Moneycontrol

In eight months, Bangalore's spanking new airport will receive its first flights. Here’s a look at an airport that will see the light of day 10 years after it was proposed.



Work's in progress at the new airport site at Devanahalli, 35 kilometres from Bangalore city. The runway is ready and the interiors of the terminal building are taking shape. This Rs 1,930 crore project promises to help Bangalore cope with its 8 million passenger traffic.



Albert Brunner, CEO, BIAL said, “Our layout is in such a way that we can increase whenever the need arises and the need arises on the side of aircrafts. When we have to add more aircrafts, then we have to increase the size of the buildings. Once it’s completed, on one side we can mirror the runway and we even have space for a satellite terminal. But the next runaway wont be built before 2014, that's our present estimate."



It's India's largest privately owned and operated greenfield airport. BIAL, which will own and operate it, has signed contracts for cargo, ground handling and retail stores.



The initial phase includes a passenger terminal and runway, 42 aircraft stands and 8 passenger bridges, parking for 2,000 cars, a fuel farm and flight

kitchens.



And phases two and three are even more ambitious. Once complete, BIAL will handle 40 million passengers a year.



It's more than an airport. More than half the 4,030 acres of site area will house a hardware technology park, cargo terminals and cold storage facilities for horticulture. Airport City, as BIAL calls it, will also house a hotel, a convention centre and office and residential space.



With over 75% of the work complete, BIAL is confident of opening the airport in April next year. But there's a bigger problem that the government needs to deal with, that of connecting the city with the new airport.