BIAL in final phase of trial

BIAL in final phase of trial
Friday February 22 2008 08:51 IST

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BANGALORE:Its 37 days from zero hour for the Bengaluru International Airport(BIA) to become operational at Devanahalli.

The airport at present is in its final trial phase which involves the integrating of various processes to simulate real life airport operations. The integrated trail phase commenced on the Thursday and will continue till next month.

Talking about the first flight, Marcel Hungerbeuheler, Chief Operation Officer said: ''The calibration flight will begin on February 26 which is essentially testing of every commodity and service. This trial will continue till the end of February. The actual landing of the aircraft will be in the first week of March. The airlines contending for the first test flight are Kingfisher-Air Deccan, Jet Airways or Indian.''

TERMINAL BUILDING

The area has 54 check-in counters along with separate check-in counters for hand baggage. Within the terminal building there are eight security gates at the domestic flight counters and about five security gates at the International flight counters.

About six Common Use Self Service(CUSS) devices are also placed at the building.

The entire terminal building is wi-fi enabled, thus there will be no difficulty in facilitating check-in. About 18 counters are established for immigration check in the international flight area.

TRANSPORT SERVICES

Bus Service: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation(BMTC) has procured 40 high quality, air-conditioned Volvo buses with dedicated shuttle services between the airport and seven pick-up points in the city. In addition, BMTC has procured 116 Ashok Leyland non ac buses to connect the airport to the city.

Taxi Service: About 900 taxis will be available when the airport becomes operational. The taxi operators will have AC box cars, equipped with GPS and GPRS to track the journey for the safety of passengers along with professional call centres.

Auotrickshaws: BIAL has allocated a parking bay for autorickshaws at the trumpet flyover and will provide a regular shuttle service from the airport to the city.

Parking Facilities: BIAL will provide a fully automated and parking facility for about 2000 cars along with 700 staff car parks. The car parking fees include about Rs 50 for four hours and Rs 40 for two hours. Parking facility for two wheelers, valet parking and dedicated zone for tour operators will also be provided by BIAL.