Post BIA: Metal birds 'missing' from City skies

Post BIA: Metal birds 'missing' from City skies
By S Praveen Dhaneshkar, DH News Service, Bangalore:
With the commissioning of the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli and the taking off of the first flight, an Air India flight IC 957 to Singapore at 00:05 hours on May 24, 2008, a decisive shift was visible over Bangalores civilian airspace.

Result? A near zero visibility of giant winged metal birds (passenger aircraft) hovering above the city’s skies, as change in flight direction meant that sightings of commercial passenger airlines became a thing of the past. Denizens of the city who were used to sighting an airline over their heads saw them vanish without a trace.
This is natural for any airport being away from the city centre says a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Speaking to Deccan Herald here on Saturday he said that the BIA, located 35 kms north of the city centre resulted in the shift of flight path to about 10 to 11 nautical miles away from the old HAL airport.

“Though an expected phenomena, anywhere in the world, once an airport is shifted it is a positive development from the aviation point of view. The world over, international airports are expected to be far away from the city centre, away from residential dwellings and commercial activity” said a General manager in AAI.

Currently handling 300 ATM’s (Air Traffic Movements) a day, the BIA has seen a drop of 50 ATM’s during the last two months, due to many airline operators cancelling their short haul flights due to an increase in ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) and a steep hike in airfares that resulted in passengers preferring to travel by either a train or a luxury bus to short distances.

“Commercial airlines that arrive from the South to the BIA fly at a higher altitude, almost 7000 to 8000 ft above ground. This would translate into aircraft being zero visible to public eye. When nearing to land they gradually decrease altitude. This is to ensure optimum level and reduce fuel consumption” explained the AAI official.
Added Aeronautical Society of India former Chairman Wg Cdr (Rtd) A E Patrawalla, “HAL airport has seen test fighter aircraft movements increase, post opening of the BIA. From slow speed to supersonic aircraft that take-off and land at HAL, it has been a movement of a different sort. Free from commercial airline operations, the facility at HAL has allowed defence test flights make use of the facility. Ideally, airports should be away from the city centre.”