On Full Flight

On Full Flight
DH News Service, Bangalore:
As BIAL enters last leg before the trials, Deccan Herald looks at what passengers can expect from the airport.


Less than nine months to go for the opening of the international greenfield airport in Devanahalli, the airport’s promoters - Bangalore International Airport Limited - have entered the last legs of construction, before the formal trials begin. The task is tight but on course, says BIAL CEO Albert Brunner.

As work progresses at the two-level 71,000 sq m (total floor area) passenger terminal building, BIAL officials point out that the idea is to centralise the entire passenger-handling and processing systems. The fully air-conditioned building is set to handle both international and domestic operations.

The check-in counters will be common for both domestic or international passengers, making the passenger experience smooth, says Brunner.

Check-ins and baggage reclaims can be done on Level One of the building. Level two will house both the departure lounges, apart from many shopping outlets. At peak hour, the terminal can accommodate 2,733 passengers, according to BIAL.

What strikes a visitor first in the under-construction terminal building is its naturally bright interiors. “We’ve adopted the North Light model for the building, ensuring that sunlight — more than the rays — enters the building, making it naturally bright,” says Chief Project Officer Sivaramakrishnan S Iyer.

The model is tipped to save cost substantially on power. The terminal will have a ground-level car park in front of the building.

Work on the four km-long, 45 m-wide runway (60 m including shoulders) is complete. BIAL proposes to open the second runway, around 1,925 metres away in 2013 or 2014.

Phase One of the Rs 1,930-crore airport includes an apron with 42 aircraft stands. It also includes a parallel taxiway and rapid-exit taxiways.

The airport masterplan accommodates provision for a second parallel taxiway as well. Shoppers and eco model: An international shopping experience, so far a long shot for passengers flying in and out of Bangalore, could just be realised at the new terminal building.

The retail space, being developed by Nuance and Shopper’s Stop, is tipped to have top-of-the-line brands on offer. The leisure segment of the airport will also get a fillip with the proposed 321-room five-star hotel of the Oberoi group.

BIAL has termed the recent concern raised by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry — on possibilities of the terminal building getting flooded during heavy rains — as due to a “misunderstanding”.

The company has promised an extremely effective drainage system at the airport, that has also taken into consideration the present global trend to go in for eco-friendly airport infrastructure.

“The airport will have a Rain Water Harvesting system covering 1,680 acres of land. We are also incorporating a system that facilitates recycling of water,” says Iyer.

PENDING LOOP

The trumpet interchange that connects commuters from Bangalore on NH 7 to the airport, is stuck in a land dispute. The National Highways Authority of India, that was initially tipped to build the interchange, has backed out.

BIAL has taken the work up at Rs 117 crore, while insisting that there’s no cost escalation because it involves work that’s not part of the original schedule.

The pending litigation means that one of the three loops (Road Overbridge 3) will not be open when the airport starts functioning on April 2, 2008. Commuters will have to pass the interchange, take a U-turn and come back to enter the airport.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER

*65 m-tall Air Traffic Control tower

*ATC technical block with anti-hijack control room, Met Department

*Fuel farm depot with capacity to store five-day supply

*Four-lane access road, linking airport to facilities including hotel

*2,377-sq m maintenance building, with fuel station

*Cargo facility with handling capacity of 300,000 tonnes a year

SECURITY SYSTEM

With a 1,400-sq m fire station and an overhead watchtower, the upcoming Devanahalli airport is being equipped with aerodrome Category IX protection standards.

This protection level can address fire security needs of any airport with more than 700 aircraft movements (size of B 747) within the “busiest consecutive three months of the year”.

“The fire brigade recruitment is at present on. From a total of 250 candidates, we’ll zero in on around 100,” says Brunner.

According to BIAL, the fire response time would not exceed two minutes to any part of the runway and three minutes to any part of the movement area, subject to conditions of visibility and surface.

The company has purchased four fire-crash vehicles and three ambulances. A state-of-the-art rescue and incident control system is also being readied.

On the baggage screening front, around 17 X-ray machines will be at work, combined for the domestic, international and customs segments.

An Airport Operation Convention Centre, a relatively new concept in these parts of the world — combining various airport services including ground-handling, catering, apron control, security, customs and immigration — will also be a feature of the airport, according to Brunner.