BIAL: 2nd runway by July

BIAL: 2nd runway by July
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Bengaluru International Airport, one of the fastest growing airports in the country, completed 100 days of commercial operations on Monday, with a pledge to begin work on an additional terminal building and the second runway by July next year.



Built to handle a capacity of 11.5 million passengers per year, the airport has already shown signs of reaching “saturation point” soon -- 2.42 million passengers, 29,446 aircraft movement and 44,357 tones of cargo moved in 100 days. But, BIAL CEO Albert Brunner insists that there’s still scope for “capacity management” for the next 18 months.

Brunner believes that upto 14 million passengers can be squeezed in comfortably by rationalising flight schedules, evening out peak hours, inline baggage screening, flexible use of check-in counters and arrival and departure lounges.

However, the company plans to construct an “express terminal” in the next 18 months to deal with the growing demand and begin work a new terminal building and the second runway by July, 2009. Brunner expected the expansion to cost around Rs 4,000 crore and to be completed in three to four years.

Referring to a customer survey conducted by the airport in July, he said,“Whereas we had several teething problems in the first few weeks, the situation has improved very fast. The passengers have indicated a high level of satisfaction with the new airport. They have specially been appreciative of the check-in procedures, courtesy of airport staff and the overall ambience of the airport.”

He said the airport had added several new toilets and increased the seating capacity in the departure area in the last few weeks to meet the initial complaints.

Ruling the possibility of accepting the re-opening of the HAL airport, he said if the Airport Authority of India had also favoured such a proposal, it was because “they are an interested party.”

Regarding user development fee (UDF), he said the proposal for charging Rs 675 from the domestic passengers had been sent to the Civil Aviation ministry and “I hope it comes fast.”

He also pointed out that the greenfield airport at Hyderabad had recently been permitted to charge Rs 375 from domestic passengers.

Brunner said his company would not accept BIAL being brought under the Right to Information Act and “we are going to fight it.”