Report says BIA grounds passengers

Report says BIA grounds passengers
BY AMIT S. UPADHYE
DC | BENGALURU


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● TECHNICAL SURVEY RAPS BENGALURU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

A report by acommittee set up by the state government has rapped Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) for numerous hitches at the international airport.
The report, based on a technical survey, has slammed Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) for not being user-friendly for Indian travellers and not being built to suit travelling conditions in the subcontinent.

It says BIA was modelled on the lines of airports in other countries and this is causing problems for airport users.

“Unlike foreign countries where only 50-60 passengers travel between smaller cities, in India nearly 180 passengers travel on any given flight. BIA is not able to handle the passengers with the facilities available.

The report also points out what needs to be done to improve the conditions,” said M.N. Srihari, consultant to the government of Karnataka.

The report details passenger experience at different locations in the airport starting from the parking lots to the check-in points. It recommends that the width of the staircase and escalator be increased, and points out that the seats in the terminal are not even enough for half the number of passengers who use the airport.

“The seats before the boarding gate are not adequate, especially during peak hours. Also, the 11 gates available for the domestic terminal cannot handle the passenger volume during peak hours,” Mr Srihari said.

The report also raises the issue of people accompanying passengers to the airport.

The space in the airport is already limited and, with small shops coming up outside the terminal building, the airport will become more congested and look like a bus stand, the report states.

“The airport handles nearly 500 aircraft every day with over 40 airlines operating flights to the city. It is important for BIAL to provide adequate facilities to passengers. If improvements are not made to the airport it may have an adverse impact on the construction of a second terminal building,” Mr Srihari said.