Bangalore slams airport plan, airs worries instead

Bangalore slams airport plan, airs worries instead

Shweta Ganesh Kumar / CNN-IBN


Bangalore: India’s IT city is all set get its first international Airport but Bangloreans don't seem to be too excited.

With the first flight set to take off on the March 30, many Bangaloreans feel there is a long way to go before the airport becomes a hit.

Located 40 km from the city, it takes to two hours to get to the airport given the poor condition of connecting roads.

"If I was the PM or CM I would have sacked the bureaucrat who planned the new airport without a road," says a Bangalorean.

Even the industrialists are disappointed. "I think BIAL has done a fabulous job of building a new airport, but I think the government of Karnataka has fallen short of providing reasonable connectivity to the airport . If this is what the challenge is going to be for Banagloreans, isn't it going to have an impact as Bangalore being one of the most business unfriendly city?” says CMD, BIOCON, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw.

The existing Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport is at a distance of 12 km from the city, at best a 45-minute drive.

No surprises then that Bangaloreans are teeming with suggestions. Says a resident, “Bangalore should have two airports because there are more frequent fliers for domestic airlines than international airlines.”

Agrees another, “For short destinations like Chennai and Hyderabad if you spend up to two three hours commuting to the airport with no connectivity, you end up spending a lot of time.”