WAITING in the WINGS

WAITING in the WINGS
The stroke of midnight on May 22 will herald Bangalore aviation’s tryst with destiny. The historic HAL airport will roll into the hangar, and a world-class flying experience will begin. Passengers, fasten your seatbelts as Team TOI takes you through the plush Bengaluru International Airport


Welcome aboard the Bengaluru International Airport. The skies look clear and all systems are go. With engines set to be fired on Thursday, the country’s jumbo airport project — which cost an estimated Rs 3,500 crore and will handle 12 million passengers annually — is finally retracting its wheels and is all set for a smooth takeoff. Here’s a lowdown on what’s in store.
CHECK-IN
To avoid any congestion, BIA has in place an integrated kiosk system apart from the 53 manned check-in counters. So if you’re in a rush, just hop to one of the 18 common use self-service (CUSS) check-in kiosks, occupying a footprint of 1 sqmt each.
How does one operate these kiosks? CUSS is a shared kiosk offering passenger services like check-in, ticketing, baggage tracking and other allied services, which can be done by the passengers themselves. A common infrastructure has been put in place by which passengers can use any kiosk to avail the services of any airline.
Like in other international airports, passengers can use the kiosks to get a printout of their ‘bag tag’ for check-in luggage, after which they will have to drop their luggage off at the express baggage drop-off points. However, to begin with, this service will only be available for passengers on international flights.
At present, airlines have their own kiosks at Metro airports, but no airport has an integrated kiosk set-up such as this. So get your boarding pass, check-in your bags to the final destination, and if you have that bit of extra time, check out the retail extravaganza that BIA has on offer.
TRAVEL AND RETAIL SPACE
As in other international airports, shopping is a major pastime for passengers. In fact, the average “spend per passenger” at some of the most vibrant commercial centres at airports (such as Singapore, Dubai, Zurich, Hong Kong) is in the range of $35-45 per trip. However, sales figures would be higher in case of luxurious and branded goods.
Interestingly, BIA’s retail space has been designed with inspiration from prominent landmarks in the city. “The inspiration for design of layouts and outlets in the retail area comes from the flowers and leaves of Lalbagh,” BIAL’s official spokesperson said.
With international retailers Nuance tying up with K Raheja group’s Shoppers’ Stop, there will be 30,000 sq ft of retail space to splurge on or simply window-shop.
The international departure section will house one of the largest duty-free outlets in India, selling the best of international liquor, tobacco, luxury and premium perfumes, cosmetics, souvenirs, gifts, arts and crafts from local artisans, electronics outlets, books, music, local and international fashion, apparel, jewellery and accessories.
The Crossword book store will retail books, magazines, calling cards, music and accessories; Sound & Vision will retail electronic gadgets and accessories; Ethos will sell its popular international brands of timewear.
The arrival duty-free outlet will offer liquor and tobacco, perfumes and cosmetics, electronics outlets and accessories.
The domestic departures will include a Shopper’s Stop department store, a Crossword book store, electronics outlets and a confectionery store, Mithaas.
La Moda, a fashion island, will retail fashion brands and accessories of popular domestic and international brands. In the arrival hall, Odyssey will retail books, music, gifts, souvenirs and flowers.
According to Vivek Mathur, V-P (corporate planning), Shoppers’ Stop, the company has spent at least 2-3 times more in setting up its retail footprint than they would have on a departmental store of the same size. “With just a few minutes to grab the customer’s attention, the importance of display and design is magnified,” he said.
The footfalls evidently are exciting. “Bangalore sends more than 50% of its international passengers to the US and Europe — mostly IT professionals. In the domestic sector, over 60% are business travelers, while the others are on personal or leisure travel. This categorization clearly shows the mix of passengers who’re the best target segment for an exciting retail environment,” said Stephan Widrig, chief commercial officer of BIAL.
While business travellers tend to splurge on branded retail, leisure travellers are known to shop more in their holiday destinations, and their spend in the airports are largely restricted to food and beverage. LOUNGE BARS AND CAFES
There is truly every chance to be merry. HMS Host will operate a Kingfisher Sports Bar and restaurant, which will include specialty fine restaurants such as Pizza Hut, delicacies from ITC’s Kitchens of India range, and Illy Caf from Paris on the international departure side.
A free-flow Indian food concept area, Taste of India, will be in place, wherein the cuisine would include the best of the league — from Mysore to Manhattan.
A Time out bar, a Barista bar, and Cookieman Coffee would be the other star attractions.
The Oberoi lounge in the international departure area will operate a common lounge.
The lounge will have dedicated areas for business and first-class passengers with a seating capacity of approximately 100 people.
Both business and first-class areas include a dining area. Travellers can also avail of shower facilities in this lounge.
The domestic departure area will house three lounges — Kingfisher, Jet and Indian Airlines.
MEDICAL FACILITIES
After all that eating and shopping, and of course for those who suffer from jet lag or air sickness, an airport hospital run by Columbia Asia has been put in place.
Columbia Asia Hospital will operate a 24x7 medical centre at the airport equipped with medical facilities, catering to all passengers and visitors. Apart from this, one ambulance will be on call at the landside part of the airport and three ambulances on the airside.