Painful goodbyes as HAL airport winds down

Painful goodbyes as HAL airport winds down
R Krishnakumar | TNN



Apeksha Bhat, a passenger who was to fly out of the HAL airport to Kochi on a 5.55 am flight, was informed that the flight would now take off from the BIA in Devanahalli, a good 30-plus km drive away. The problem: there was no help in sight — from the airline or airport officials — to direct her on how to get to the airport. The solution: There was none, apart from a random suggestion, “There are buses.’’
The script was almost predictable as curtains were downed on HAL airport on Friday. With no transition phase set between the two airports, the wind-down, as expected, came with its share of chaos. “Someone asks me to go to Hebbal, others say Majestic is a better option. Aren’t they supposed to at least set up some helpdesks here? I tried the helpline numbers but they haven’t been of any help,’’ said Bhat.
The official take was that HAL airport officials couldn’t be held responsible for connectivity issues of the new airport. “There was confusion among the airlines with regard to the take-off points. Some of the passengers have landed up here. Connectivity links to the new airport have to be ensured by BIAL,’’ reasoned an airport official.
Passengers were heard wondering whether BMTC’s Volvo buses were plying late in the night to the new airport.
“The airport officials should have helped passengers through the transition. Even if the buses, taxis or autos are plying, who’ll guarantee security?’’ asked a passenger.
Officials said a Jet Airways flight to Mumbai (11.10 pm) and a Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore (SQ 503, 11.05 pm) were the last domestic and international flights out of the airport. Passengers on the Singapore flight looked excited about being part of the transition. A senior citizen, while seeing off his relative, brought perspective to the moment of cheer: “Till yesterday, we were told that the flight would take off from BIA.’’
Down memory lane...
It was also time for some seasoned airport officials to go on a nostalgic, rewind mode, reminiscing about everything from the old-time greenery to Rajkumar film shoots at the airport. T R S Murthy, senior manager (aircraft control), who is set to retire on June 30 after 39 years of service, put it this way: “This is perhaps the first time an airport is being shut down just because another one is opening.’’
Murthy agreed that traffic had boomed over the past few years and the closure was inevitable. “Even with a lot of constraints, we have managed to deliver all these years. Many of the officials have left and joined BIAL because they didn’t want to be transferred to other defunct airports,’’ he said.