Getting to BIA is just the beginning of woes

Getting to BIA is just the beginning of woes
Wednesday May 21 2008 09:22 IST

Monica Jha
click here

BANGALORE: The first flight from the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) is just a day away. Forget the long distance and the time-consuming journey to Devanahalli, there are more things to fret about. If reaching there is the first problem, here are four more to note:

Delays due to badly-aligned fuel hydrant

The fuel hydrant at the BIA will lose its purpose as some of the aerobridges (four to five) are not aligned properly with the fuel hydrant. Due to this, an aircraft cannot be refuelled using the booster pump while the passengers are getting off the aircraft.

Now either the refuelling tank will have to be brought to the aircraft or the booster will have to be connected after the removal of the aerobridges, which will result in delays for the ground handling of the aircraft. Refuelling of big aircraft take about 50 minutes to an hour.

Eliminating delays has become a key parameter of an airline's performance. But ground handling at the BIA will take more time than usual due to the lack of an equipment staging area (ESA).

Lack of adequate turning pad

BIA's runway has no turning pad at the end of it. A wide-bodied aircraft cannot take a 180-degree turn for departure if the perimeter taxi track gets blocked for some reason. In such a situation, the aircraft will have to be towed and turned around.

The width of a runway should be a minimum of 60 metres, preferably 75 metres, to avoid such situations, but the BIA runway is only 45 metres wide.

The runway width is also not enough to accommodate an Airbus A-380 as it needs at least a 60-metre wide runway.

The widths of the runway and the shoulders at the BIA total to 60 metres, but the shoulders are not intended for use by the aircraft.

Small hangars

BIA's plan shows 42 aircraft stands, but this plan assumes that any aircraft parked will be of the size of an Airbus A320 or smaller.

If a wide-bodied aircraft is to be parked, of the three parking stands only one can be effectively used.

Inefficient landing system

The new international airport has a CAT-I Instrument Landing System (ILS), which is not efficient in bad weather when the Runway Visibility Range drops.

This might create problems if CAT II is not installed before winter, when maintaining flight schedules becomes difficult due to fog.

The Bangalore International airport will be operational from May 23 onwards.