Road to new airport will be ready by March 15: BIAL

Road to new airport will be ready by March 15: BIAL

Staff Reporter

New airport to become operational by March 30

Plea to direct authorities to retain HAL airport

BANGALORE: The Union Government and the Bangalore International Airport limited (BIAL) on Wednesday orally submitted to the Karnataka High Court that the trumpet intersection and the road to the new international airport at Devanahalli will be completed by March 15.

Additional Solicitor-General Aravind Kumar and advocate for BIAL and former Advocate-General Uday Holla informed the court that the international airport would become fully operational by March 30.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.V. Nagaranta was dealing with a petition by a Bangalore-based advocate, G.R. Mohan, seeking a direction to the authorities to retain the HAL airport and make use of its for short haul domestic flights.

Mr. Mohan said the concessional agreement signed between BIAL and the Government proposed closure of the HAL Airport from March 28/29. He said once the international airport at Devanahalli becomes operational on March 28/29, all international and domestic flights would be shifted to Devanahalli.

He said as per the earlier order, he had filed interlocutory applications (IA) on the concessional agreement. Allowing the IA, the Bench sought to know from the parties whether two airports could function simultaneously.

When Mr. Mohan said he was not against the international airport and that he wanted the HAL Airport to be put to use as a domestic airport, the Chief Justice sought to know whether two airports could exist simultaneously in the same city.

He asked both the BIAL and the Centre to file statements on whether two airports could exist simultaneously and other technical aspects and adjourned further hearing on the case to March 4.