y arent they putting new pics on the site???? has any one taken nite photos of the airport??? it would b gr8 i think

i think there r no lights on the main road yet!!!! so........... and thanks for the info on the catI II III!!!

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have information about the final decision by the Aviation Ministry on the user fee charges both at Bangalore & Hyderabad?

Actually, it is proposed not to have any UserFee atleast for HIAL for the first month. Later on they may charge. It is not still decided. It seems talks are still going on whether to levy UserFee for these airports.

I thought there was meant to be a flight status display in the check in and arriving area. The BIAL run pics or the trial run pics seem to indicate they have yet to install them.

I hope it is part of the plan and dont expect passengers to view the wall mounted small display screens as indicated in the BIAL website.

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have information about the final decision by the Aviation Ministry on the user fee charges both at Bangalore & Hyderabad? The amont they are proposing clearly looks like day light robbery. How a democratic govt can agree to these kind of clause?

.

^^

Most likely the user fee charges will not be there for 2 to 4 months ?.. GOI and civil aviation ministry will wait till the airport regulator (similar to Telecom regulator) in place. Other operators like DIAL and MIAL agreements also has provisions for user fees.. Once those airports in shape they will propose user fees.. So at the end passengers to has to face the burden.. and soon this will be reality across the airports.

For some low-cost airliners, now the booking is open till September. If a decision is taken, say next month for instance, that user fee will be levied starting sometime in July or August, I wonder how they will collect the user fee from those who have booked already for July through September! At the desk when handing over the boarding pass is the only way I can think of!

i read this thing in bangalore mirror abt taxiways and all its gr8 news!!!
i cant blive tht no one has mentioned it???

i read this thing in bangalore mirror abt taxiways and all its gr8 news!!!
i cant blive tht no one has mentioned it???

at least you mention it for us....what is about taxiways.??

Devanahalli airport may fuel economy travel (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb202008/scroll2008022053226.asp?section=updatenews)


The fuel throughput fee fixed for aircraft at the Bengaluru airport is only Rs 700 per kilo litre of aviation fuel. This is not only a lot lesser than that to be levied for the Hyderabad airport, but also considerably lower than in most existing airports of the country, barring New Delhi and Mumbai.


Throughput fee is the payment made by fuel suppliers to the airport developer. The supplier will pass on the additional charge of throughput fee to the airlines, which, in turn, will pass the burden on to their passengers.
The airport developer auctions and hands over new fuel stations and other infrastructure facilities at airports to oil companies for which the throughput fees is paid.
...
Devanahalli airport’s fuel throughput fee rate of Rs 700 is much lower than the Rs 2,170 per kilo litre of aviation fuel proposed by the Hyderabad airport promoters, who recently informed oil companies of their throughput charge.

at least you mention it for us....what is about taxiways.??

yes sir here it goes(took a long time to write so sorry for the delay)


it says rapid taxiways have been located at 1200m 1800m from 09 threshold allowing maximum capacity. the positioning enables maximum capacity on the runway and is meant for large and medium sised aircrafts. they also enable the aircrafts to vacate faster after immediate landing even b4 the aircraft comes to halt. at present hal accomodates 25 per hr, the new bial will able to acc 30 per hr. this saves fuel and and time for aircraft and passengers.the current runway occupancy rate is 1 min on the lower side and 2 and a half on the higher side . normally with with a taxiway the occ time comes down 50%.the new airport will bring down to 30 sec. AAI has commited 28 -35 flights per hr.airlines say say tht around 400-425 aircrafts per day at new bial compared to 360 at hal. the hal airport has only two exit points on the runway. the aircrafts has to right to the end of the runway!!!! rapid taxiway enables more flight schedules to be added. the airport layout design allows for a second parallel runway of 1925m .this is safe dist .

BAGGAGE HANDLING
At the hal airport the baggage handling sys si screned by airlines themseleves b4 u actualy reah check in. at new airport passengers wwill check in along with the baggage and the baggage will be screened thru an inline screening sys. it has 5 levels of an inbuilt scr sys to ensure no objection mat get thru . a passen can check in succesfully with just 1 process eliminating the need to hav seperate baggage check in procedures.
it is a international foolproof baggage screening procedures.

SELF CHECK IN
BIAL has also taken the growing trend for self check in counters .besides 53 common use check in counters it will also hav additional 18 Common Use Self Service CUSS check in kiosks.


PHASE 1 also has
parallel taxiway
rapid exit taxiways
apron
isolation bay

among oter things things bial airport will hav 8 aerobridges contact boarding gates one double arm aerobridge nine remote bus gates. these r in line with all the requirments. PARKING BAYS- 42 code C aircrafts stands!!!!
( i hav not changed anything in this info)

New Delhi/Mumbai: Bangalore’s new airport will be ready on March 7 to receive the first commercial test flights. It plans to start commercial operations on March 28 or 30, soon after Hyderabad’s new airport does so on 16 March.

Unlike Hyderabad, where only full-service scheduled carriers Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines landed on February 12, low-cost carrier Simplifly Deccan (formerly Air Deccan) will do the honours at Devanahalli.


The airline is also headquartered in the city from where G R Gopinath started the country’s first low-cost carrier operation. When contacted, Gopinath confirmed that the airline would land in the new airport on March 7.


A spokesperson for Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), however, merely said the test flights would take place in the first week of March.


Apart from Deccan, Kingfisher Airlines, which has a majority stake in Air Deccan, will also land in the airport on the same day on its maiden test flight to the new airport. A Kingfisher Airlines spokesperson also confirmed the development. However, it is not clear whether Jet Airways will also participate in the test landings.

The airport, the second of the major public-private partnerships in airport, is being built by BIAL with Siemens, Zurich Airport, Larsen & Toubro, the Airports Authority of India and the Karnataka State Industrial Development Corporation as equity partners.

The airport will have a 4,000-metre runway (shorter than Hyderabad’s 4260- metre facility) and is being built to accommodate 8.5 to 10 million passengers in 2010 and 14.53 to 18 million by 2020.

In contrast, Hyderabad will initially handle 12 million passengers a year.

The 71,000-square foot terminal has the capacity to handle over 2,733 passengers at peak time, smaller than that of Hyderabad which is spread in 103,000 square metres.

Guys any idea if BIAL has any plans of updating the pics for this month?? Its already 21st!

The 71,000-square foot terminal has the capacity to handle over 2,733 passengers at peak time, smaller than that of Hyderabad which is spread in 103,000 square metres.

Just 1 doubt 71,000 sq foot in Bial and 103,000 sq meters in Hial ? I think it should be 71,000 sq meters for Bial ...

^^

Just 1 doubt 71,000 sq foot in Bial and 103,000 sq meters in Hial ? I think it should be 71,000 sq meters for Bial ...

Make no mistake, it's indeed 71,000 sq.mt as per BIAL website

http://www.bialairport.com/project_facilities_infrastructure.htm?cid=contentarea&ses=bial#1

February 21st, 2008 - 11:12 pm ICT by admin - Email This Post

Bangalore, Feb 21 (IANS) The Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), the consortium of the upcoming Bengaluru International Airport, has decided to reduce user development fee (UDF), to be levied on domestic as well as international passengers, for the first two months. “We have decided to reduce UDF for the first two months (April and May) to facilitate transition from the existing airport in the city to the new international airport at Devanahalli on the outskirts of the city,” BIAL chief executive officer Albert Brunner told reporters Thursday at the new airport site, 36 km away from the city centre.

“The fee is levied to provide and maintain higher infrastructure quality and safety,” he said.

The fee will be Rs.240 plus taxes (12.36 percent) for domestic passengers and Rs.520 plus taxes for international passengers till May 31.

Thereafter, it will be Rs.675 plus taxes for domestic and Rs.955 plus taxes for international passengers, as per the concession agreement the BIAL signed with the central government in June 2004 for the greenfield airport built at a revised cost of Rs.25 billion.

“The UDF will be levied over a five-year period and charges will be fixed every year in consultation with the regulatory authority of the civil aviation ministry,” Brunner said giving an update on the project, scheduled to take off March 30.

The state-run Airport Authority of India (AAI) levies Rs.221 per passenger as UDF for maintaining the existing airport in the city.

Brunner said the consortium was waiting for the approval of the ministry and Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to levy UDF on passengers.

Source: ThaiIndian.com (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/new-bangalore-airport-slashes-user-development-fee_10019918.html)


New Bangalore airport slashes user development fee
February 21st, 2008 - 11:12 pm ICT by admin - Email This Post

Bangalore, Feb 21 (IANS) The Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), the consortium of the upcoming Bengaluru International Airport, has decided to reduce user development fee (UDF), to be levied on domestic as well as international passengers, for the first two months. “We have decided to reduce UDF for the first two months (April and May) to facilitate transition from the existing airport in the city to the new international airport at Devanahalli on the outskirts of the city,” BIAL chief executive officer Albert Brunner told reporters Thursday at the new airport site, 36 km away from the city centre.

“The fee is levied to provide and maintain higher infrastructure quality and safety,” he said.

The fee will be Rs.240 plus taxes (12.36 percent) for domestic passengers and Rs.520 plus taxes for international passengers till May 31.

Thereafter, it will be Rs.675 plus taxes for domestic and Rs.955 plus taxes for international passengers, as per the concession agreement the BIAL signed with the central government in June 2004 for the greenfield airport built at a revised cost of Rs.25 billion.

“The UDF will be levied over a five-year period and charges will be fixed every year in consultation with the regulatory authority of the civil aviation ministry,” Brunner said giving an update on the project, scheduled to take off March 30.

The state-run Airport Authority of India (AAI) levies Rs.221 per passenger as UDF for maintaining the existing airport in the city.

Brunner said the consortium was waiting for the approval of the ministry and Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to levy UDF on passengers.

[QUOTE=luvBlore;18574140]
The fee will be Rs.240 plus taxes (12.36 percent) for domestic passengers and Rs.520 plus taxes for international passengers till May 31.

The state-run Airport Authority of India (AAI) levies Rs.221 per passenger as UDF for maintaining the existing airport in the city.

Does this mean that now Rs 221 being charged by AAI will get adjusted with Rs 240 that Bial will charge? Assume a person already has a domestic travel ticket in April or May so it looks he will have to pay additional Rs 240 + 29.70 - 221 = 48.70
Let me know if my understanding is correct ?? :nuts:

Bangalore’s new airport gears up for Rs 2,500-cr expansion (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/22/stories/2008022252771200.htm)


Even as the new Bengaluru International Airport is almost set for flight on March 30, its promoters are gearing up for round 2: expansion worth around Rs 2,500 crore over the next three years.

The airport project that began in July 2005 is putting the finishing touches to construction; it is getting two to four domestic airlines to do pre-launch test flights possibly between March 7 and 15.

Mr Albert Brunner, CEO of the airport company Bangalore International Airport Ltd, said the new airport being built by the Siemens-L&T-Unique Zurich consortium would cater to 10 million passengers in the first year. With traffic expected to grow 30-35 per cent by 2010, expansion had become a necessity.

Initially, the second runway was not foreseen for 10-15 years – or until 2013. Now that was being advanced to 2010-11 along with an expanded terminal building. A clear picture of the expansion would emerge by the year-end, Mr Brunner said. He said 95 per cent of the work on the infrastructure and IT side is over. The airport will have 54 counters on the ground and first floor for check-ins and baggage.

User development fee of Rs 675 for domestic departures and Rs 955 for international departures would stay, as per the concession agreement. The UDF would refinance the promoter investment.

The Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Stefan Widrig, said the user fee would be reviewed after five years by the aviation regulator. BIAL may take six to seven years to break even, Mr Brunner said. The cost has grown from Rs 1,412 crore at the signing of the concession agreement in 2005 to Rs 1,930 crore for redesign; and another fresh addition has now taken the cost to Rs 2,530 crore. He turned down keeping the HAL airport open saying it was needless, inconvenient and financially not feasible.

On course

•Air India flights to Singapore and Dubai would be the first departures out of Bangalore on the midnight of March 30.

•A 50 per cent cut on the user development fee for the first two months to discount airlines that have sold the tickets for this period.

•Kingfisher, Simplifly Deccan, both Bangalore players, besides Air India and Jet are expected to be part of the pre-launch test flights next month.

•Dragon Air to fly in daily from Hong Kong from May. Kingfisher may begin San Francisco flights in August.

•Among airlines that have made requests are Oman Air for six flights a week; Singapore, Etihaad Emirates and Air India want to increase frequencies.

•BIAL would handle 440 peak season movements a day by August.

Bangalore’s new airport gears up for Rs 2,500-cr expansion (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/22/stories/2008022252771200.htm)

Well...Well....Well. Expansion plans sounds great...BIAL realized the potential air traffic growth by 2010 ,though i would say bit late....High Speed Train should be primary target for the state govt as well....at least by 2011 to match with expanded terminal and 2nd runway.....connectivity is a must.

The same news with some info on brand outlets

The airport will sport two mono brand stores at the international terminal: Bangalorean Deepika Govind’s designer wear and watches and writing instruments at the Ethos Watches outlet.

At the domestic side, Carbon Accessories will showcase its creations. LaModa’s fashion apparel and accessories, including Tommy Hilfiger; Odyssey’s books, music, gifts, toys and flowers will also come up.

Three food & beverage operators have been chosen. Radhakrishna Hospitality Services South Indian delicacies, KaatiZone and Gangotree for North Indian food; and Subway and Baskin Robbins for international fare. Earlier, concessionaires include HMS Host and Café Coffee Day.

Thomas Cook and TT Forex have been selected for foreign exchange services.

source :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/22/stories/2008022252771200.htm

Well...Well....Well. Expansion plans sounds great...BIAL realized the potential air traffic growth by 2010 ,though i would say bit late....High Speed Train should be primary target for the state govt as well....at least by 2011 to match with expanded terminal and 2nd runway.....connectivity is a must.

Yup... it sounds as if they just heard the alarm bells that have been blaring for so long... But better late than never.

So, we are going to get a second warehouse. If we called the first one wal-mart what are we going to call the second one? clone-mart ?

:banana:

[QUOTE=indianocean;18578262]Yup... it sounds as if they just heard the alarm bells that have been blaring for so long... But better late than never.

So, we are going to get a second warehouse. If we called the first one wal-mart what are we going to call the second one? clone-mart ?
QUOTE]

^^
Samsclub or Costco ... this time even bigger one :D

Good news on the other hand is that the magic boxes to make it signal-free roadtrip to airport are coming up one by one. Even the trumpet interchange looks to be almost completed, thanks to L&T's 24hr work going on ... but i think the trial runs are pushed much much farther ... just 3 weeks before opening ...

so the count down starts now .. just 35 days to go ...

If Indian Railways is any smarter, they should kinda introduce a nonstop full A/C chair car between Chennai n B'lore, Hyd n Vijayawada so that short trip passenger can take them instead of flights ... and charge the same amounts as the airlines does right now !

It may look like warehouse....people talk the same :old: stuff again n again....but i am sure this BIAL airport will grow on with people....as people also grow with the time. :).

First time he said Walmart; it was a smart little quip...
Second time he said it; it was OK so you want to get your point across..
Third time, fourth time; WTF! are you a parrot who can only repeat 'walmart', 'walmart', 'walmart' ... What do you think of elevators? 'walmart'! How old are you? 'walmart'!

This airport is better than all the airports in India with the exception of HIAL. They are making an effort even though it was the governments fault for taking 10 years to approve everything once the plan was drawn up. There is no need for your upper middle class American condescension.

First time he said Walmart; it was a smart little quip...
Second time he said it; it was OK so you want to get your point across..
Third time, fourth time; WTF! are you a parrot who can only repeat 'walmart', 'walmart', 'walmart' ... What do you think of elevators? 'walmart'! How old are you? 'walmart'!

They just want to show that they have been to the US ? :D

..btw the airport building does look like an Ikea ! :D

Passenger trials:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3219/2283044942_66ac6edc41_o.jpg
Source: Deccan Herald 22nd Feb 08 - Photogallery

View of the swanky looking check in counters:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2021/2282218741_33ef5b712a_o.jpg

Trials continuing at BIAL:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2146/2283007984_144d6b8242_o.jpg

Airside equipment being tested:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2095/2282229265_4abdbd315b_o.jpg

Photos from: Manglorean.com (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=68243)

More photos and news of BIAL at Manglorean.com (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=68243)

^^^ looks nice; does not looks like IKEA or Walmart cash counter

Great.. atleast it won't have those ugly embarassing farm tractors which are so ubiquitious in Indian airport

Great.. atleast it won't have those ugly embarassing farm tractors which are so ubiquitious in Indian airport

Man I absolutely hate those! I'm happy to see them gone too. Oh and nice to see baggage belts motorized instead of the push/pull variety and they're covered too!

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

As someone claimed before, we will see when the airports are run, who is more efficient and runs without hiccups.

awesome pictures and hot vehicles...

First time he said Walmart; it was a smart little quip...
Second time he said it; it was OK so you want to get your point across..
Third time, fourth time; WTF! are you a parrot who can only repeat 'walmart', 'walmart', 'walmart' ... What do you think of elevators? 'walmart'! How old are you? 'walmart'!

This airport is better than all the airports in India with the exception of HIAL. They are making an effort even though it was the governments fault for taking 10 years to approve everything once the plan was drawn up. There is no need for your upper middle class American condescension.

In india, the problem is people always just keep criticising. Make your point and get going...Take Walmart for that.....now everyone knows some people always remain like walmart their life time.....i told walmart manytimes to chill out....but walmart is walmart...

First time he said Walmart; it was a smart little quip...
Second time he said it; it was OK so you want to get your point across..
Third time, fourth time; WTF! are you a parrot who can only repeat 'walmart', 'walmart', 'walmart' ... What do you think of elevators? 'walmart'! How old are you? 'walmart'!

This airport is better than all the airports in India with the exception of HIAL. They are making an effort even though it was the governments fault for taking 10 years to approve everything once the plan was drawn up. There is no need for your upper middle class American condescension.

And I will openly say, as an upper middle class American, that Bangaluru has a **** nice airport there and should be **** proud of it (pardon the expletives, just needed some umph). Endemic skepticism is for nations on a slow decline, not for a vibrant, dynamic nation making its world debut.

This airport resembles nothing like a Walmart. Anyone who has spent any significant time at all in any American big-box store will quickly see how this airport is nothing like one.

If you don't cherish what you have now, don't expect to get any more.

Oh, and to dispel any notion otherwise, let me just say that Americans are in no way enthralled with Walmart stores despite however many of those leeches they decide to plant.

Few more from :Mangalorean.com:banana:

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/New%20Airports/20080221bial1.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/New%20Airports/20080221bial3.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/New%20Airports/20080221bial4.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/New%20Airports/20080221bial8.jpg

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/New%20Airports/20080221bial2.jpg

not for a vibrant, dynamic nation making its world debut.[/i]

This airport resembles nothing like a Walmart. Anyone who has spent any significant time at all in any American big-box store will quickly see how this airport is nothing like one.

If you don't cherish what you have now, don't expect to get any more.

Oh, and to dispel any notion otherwise, let me just say that Americans are in no way enthralled with Walmart stores despite however many of those leeches they decide to plant.

^^
Airport is decent enough to be happy. i bet anyone who challenge this. It is just the beginning..It is going to be better....

People are too much judgemental and criticism on BIAL all the time again n again is the problem....who said you need swanky airport to showcase nation is vibrant and dynamic....well functioning efficient airport with huge capacity will also do.

Indians are too much obcessed with walmarts in US....people wake-up for good.....come n see in bangalore malls or have a look of bangalore metro stations renders to change that perspetive....

luvblore...........this image looks great. u know come to think of it. it may not be that bad as we are making out to be.

Few more from :Mangalorean.com:banana:

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/New%20Airports/20080221bial2.jpg

Defending the Bangalore International Airport Limited’s (BIAL) stand to shut down commercial operations at the HAL Airport after the Bengaluru International Airport opens on March 30, BIAL CEO, Albert Brunner said that operating two airports simultaneously would be disastrous.
Replying to a query on the PIL filed in the Karnataka High Court on the retention of the HAL airport he said, “ To operate two airports on a long term basis is a bad solution and would also be disastrous for the airline operators, passengers and for the over all business activity. Cities which have dual airports like Hong Kong and Munich have turned out to be a disasters and the airports have never grown.
While international airports in London sees passenger volumes of 140 million, New York has 150 million air passengers per year. Bangalore has just 10 million. Here is an unique opportunity for Bangalore airport to be a major hub in south India by having one big and strong airport,” he said.
As part of the next expansion plans he said that an estimated Rs 2,000 to 3,000 crores will be invested which include the construction of a second runway and terminal buildings and other infrastructure facilities

First flight at BIAL
The BIAL at Devanahalli, into its 34th month of construction is ready to see the first flight land anytime after February 26. The airline, a private jet from L & T (Larsen and Toubro) will be the first calibration flight expected to land on the runway during the last week of this month.

Connectivity woes
Ninety-five percent of all infrastructure work has been completed at BIAL.
The trumpet flyover will be ready in eight months. Access Road on NH 7 has been completed. The taxiway is almost ready. However we do agree that the government has taken up the issue of connectivity rather late. Devanahalli airport is never too far. For people living in North Bangalore, Devanhalli is a lot closer that HAL airport.

Reservation quota
We have a staff strength of 450 personnel. Fifty percent of all jobs created at BIAL will be given to locals. We have provided employment to a local farmer whose land was acquired for the project. 3000 employment opportunities will be generated in the coming years


Taxi Service
Our priority is to provide a safe and reliable taxi service to our passengers. Our cabs have to be equipped with a GPS service. Others who submitted tenders did not match the required standards.

On March 28, the residents of Bangalore will wake up to a new airport, while the doors of the old HAL airport would close down


The media was introduced to what lies in store for the public at BIAL on Thursday.
Here’s what passengers can do once they walk in hours before the flight (six hours for international and three for domestic airlines): Sip hot coffee at Cafe Coffee Day or chill out at Baskin Robbins over a chocolate fudge, shop at LaModa for trendy fashion apparel, purchase accessories at Tommy Hilfiger, buy books and gifts/toys at Odessey before passing through one of the security gates to finally board the aircraft, taking one of the aerobridges.
The BIAL has chosen three food & beverage operators to provide Indian cuisine which include Radhakrishna Hospitality Services (RKHS), for South Indian delicacies, KaatiZone and Gangotree, for North Indian food. Subway will also open outlets at the Airport. The connectivity however may be progress at a snail’s pace.
Other facilities
In addition to 700 car parks for staff, BIAL’s car park can accommodate 2000 cars. A 10-minute free parking will be given to all drop off passengers. BIAL will also provide two wheeler and valet parking, dedicated zone for tour operator buses and premium areas to pick up hotel guests. Car parking fees include Rs 50 for the four hours and Rs 40 for two hours.
BIAL has selected Hertz and Akbar Travels as its strategic partner in Limousine and Car Rental operations for premium cars. For the first time at Indian Airports, cars can also be rented professionally for self drive. The cars for Limousine and Car Rental are in a dedicated premium zone close to the terminal building.

YOUR SET OF WHEELS

Bus Service: Forty air-conditioned Volvo buses will ply as a dedicated Shuttle Services between the Airport and seven destinations across the City. A trip from MG Road is likely to cost Rs. 130 (proposed). In addition, BMTC has procured 116 Ashok Leyland Non AC buses to connect the airport to the City; at Rs. 65 (proposed). BIAL will provide free professional bus bays.
Taxi service: BIAL has selected MERU & EASYCAB to provide basic taxi services. The taxi operators will have basic AC box cars, all equipped with GPS and GPRS to track the journey for safety and transparency. Over 900 taxis will be available when the airport begins operations. This is slated to grow gradually, providing employment opportunities to at least 1800 families.
Pre and post paid taxi facilities: will be available on meter charges at Rs.15/- per km (subject to Govt regulation). BIAL has offered the incumbent taxi operator, KSTDC, 100 taxi licenses as subcontractor to above operators, subject to fulfiling the same quality and service levels as defined between BIAL and those operators.
Autorickshaws: BIAL has allocated parking bay for autorickshaws at the trumpet Flyover and will provide a regular shuttle service from the airport

wonder who will b the first to go to the new airport on SSC????:):cheers:

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/indrajal/New%20Airports/20080221bial2.jpg[/QUOTE]

is that a gate in the right corner???? its being extended by some what!! any pics frm the inside???? like gate numbers, signs???:)

Please provide the links to the news articles.

^^CHECK PAGE 52!!!

Lovely pics there...BIAL looks good.. those check-in areas are smart and the ambience of the departure lounge is uniquely pleasing. :cheers:

The warehouse-looking aeriel shots will be forgotten very soon when the airport starts functioning. It's good that BIAL is planning Phase 2 right away. However, I still feel keeping the HAL airport open for regional airlines will benefit the airline operators and the passengers.

However, I still feel keeping the HAL airport open for regional airlines will benefit the airline operators and the passengers.

I completely agree on this but somehow it dosen't look like enough efforts are being made in this direction. Initially there were some statements from industry leaders eg Kiran Majumdar but didn't see things moving forward...

I completely agree on this but somehow it dosen't look like enough efforts are being made in this direction. Initially there were some statements from industry leaders eg Kiran Majumdar but didn't see things moving forward...


It will not be viable financialy for both HAL and BIAL.....Good for the passengers...but then why to build new airport if HAL is retained. there will be so many logistical problem for connecting flights...movement never took off ....

1. Book before March 6, beat airport user fee
In Two Months, Rs 675 Levy Kicks In

Anshul Dhamija & Anil Kumar M | TNN

SET FOR TAKE-OFF: The main terminal of Bengaluru International Airport at Devanahalli, due to become operational on March 30, is ready
http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/2408/bial1yt8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Bangalore: For those flying out of here, this is the time to book your flight tickets. If you want to travel after March 30 and yet escape the user development fee (UDF) that will come into force, book your tickets before March 6.

Once the new Bengaluru International Airport opens on March 30, a user development fee (UDF) of Rs 240 plus taxes and Rs 520 plus taxes will be levied on domestic and international travel, respectively. This is an introductory offer by BIAL for two months, after which the UDF will be doubled. Airlines are not passing this additional charge to the consumer as yet. “Our pricing remains the same. We have not increased the prices of our tickets on travel post March 30,’’ said a Deccan spokesperson.

However, a spokesperson of a leading full-service carrier said after March 6, airlines will be taking a call on increasing airfares keeping the UDF in mind. “BIAL will release the full details of flight schedules and the various taxes it will be levying on March 6. Only after that will we look at increasing fares,’’ said an airline official. On domestic sectors, airfares will go up by Rs 240 and on international sectors by Rs 540 for a period of two months. Thereafter passengers will have to bear a UDF of Rs 675 on domestic flights and Rs 955 on international routes.

Currently, HAL Airport charges an airport tax of Rs 200, which airlines pass on to the consumer. “UDF is used to refinance the huge investments made by us. There are definitely no free services and free lunches. At the end of the day, we have to make money,’’ said BIAL CEO Albert Brunner. According to him, all airlines have been alerted about the UDF charges to make the required airfare corrections.

“The current UDF charges will be vetted by the regulatory authority that is to be set up soon by the civil aviation ministry. We will abide by whatever they recommend,’’ said Brunner.

UDF is meant to maintain high infrastructure quality and safety. It had been included in the detailed project report when the airport was being set up at Devanahalli. Brunner said the issue of revising UDF will be left to an independent regulatory authority to be set up later.

Expressing satisfaction at the pace of work on the airport site, Brunner said Bengaluru airport would be better than its Hyderabad counterpart, as it was expected handle 70% more traffic than the latter. “Hyderabad wanted to beat us in inaugurating the airport. Though there were suggestions to complete the work here faster than Hyderabad, we stuck to our schedule,’’ he maintained.

Referring to poor connectivity to the airport, Brunner said the state government had approached BIAL to woo private investors for the proposed high-speed rail link project. However, airport authorities are said to have told the government BIAL would invest 10% if a special purpose vehicle were to be created to monitor the project.

The state government, which is a stakeholder in the airport project, has prepared the ground work to introduce a high-speed rail network connecting BRV Grounds on M G Road to the new international airport.

2. All for the GLOBAL SOUL...
Runway to airport

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Departure Lounge area at BIAL Airport
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/5231/bial2tu3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Bangalore: There’s some good news for passengers driving up to Bengaluru airport. After failing to convince the government, BIAL authorities have taken up the approach road network connecting the international airport.

Termed as Trumpet road network, taken up on NH 7 near the airport, it will lead smoothly to the airport terminal once completed. “The network is expected to complete on schedule and will be open by March 30,’’ BIAL CEO Albert Brunner told reporters.

With little more than a month for flights to take off and land from the new airport, the BIAL has taken up the airport readiness programme (ARP) consisting of core and complementary processes. “BIAL follows guidelines termed ‘FISH’ to ensure that each of these processes are addressed and ready. Explaining this aspect, Brunner said ‘F’ includes different facilities required for different processes; ‘I’ involves information, for work orders, manuals, checklists and standard operating procedures; ‘S’ stands for systems and ‘H’ means human resource.

The identified six core processes are categorised into: aircraft guidance; aircraft handling; passenger process; baggage process; cargo process and operational airport management. The BIAL authorities earmarked landside airport access, commissioning and utilities, safety, security, licensing and relocation from HAL airport on complementary side.

Elaborate transport arrangements have been made to reach the airport. BMTC has will be pressing in 40 Volvo buses for dedicated shuttle services between the airport and seven destinations across the city. A trip from M G Road is expected to cost a passenger Rs 130, while non-luxury buses would cost Rs 65.

Around 900 taxis would be available for travel when the airport begins operation. Brunner expects that the taxi service would provide employment opportunities to at least 1,800 local families. “More than 50% of the employees here are locals,’’ he said.

The taxis are said to be affordable and equipped with GPS and GPRS to track the journey for safety and transparency.

PARKING HIGHLIGHTS

In addition to 700 car parks for staff, the new airport can accommodate 2,000 cars. This would be fully automated with an efficient and transparent management system.

A 10-minute free parking would be given to all drop off passengers.

Two wheeler parking, valet parking, dedicated zone for tour operator buses and premium areas to pick up hotel guests are also available.

Car parking fee include Rs 50 for the four hours and Rs 40 for two hours.

And perhaps for the first time in Indian airports limousines and rental operations for premium cars would be made available in Bengaluru airport. High-end cars could be rented professionally for self drive.

3. A lowdown on airport user charges

Air-traffic Control tower
http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/4103/bial3gw0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The procedural guidelines issued by the civil aviation ministry for setting up greenfield airports permit levy of UDF (User Development Fee).
They include
Central Government may levy an Advance Development Fee (ADF) from embarking passengers at the existing airport or for the development of new airport on terms and conditions as per ADF rules framed by the ministry. The greenfield airport operator may be allowed to levy a UDF at the new airport, subject to the regulatory regime in force. The Passenger Service Fees (PSF) levied at all airports would be applicable to greenfield airports. ADF/UDF would be charged in addition to the PSF. PSF being levied through passenger tickets will have two components: security charges, levy for airport maintenance and upkeep. The PSF components collected through airline passenger tickets will be passed on by the airline to AAI for the security component and to the greenfield operator for the service component.

4.Customs staff strength unchanged
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Aero-Bridge
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4076/bial4xb5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Bangalore: As the Bengaluru airport gears up for grand opening on March 30, the customs wing is being readied for relocation from HAL airport to Devanahalli airport.

However, the relocation will not pose any big problem. Reason: No increase in customs staff has been planned as of now. At present, there are 41 custom personnel at HAL airport; the same number will move to the Bengaluru International Airport.

“We are able to handle the work with the present staff. The department would increase the staff there (Bengaluru airport) when the situation arises,’’ customs sources told The Times of India. One joint commissioner, 3 assistant commissioners, 15 superintendents, 13 inspectors, 6 sepoys and 3 contingents will be deployed at the new airport. The customs counters at this site have been designed on the lines of the one at the Zurich airport.

The international baggage claim area has four large arrival baggage claim belts. These state-of-art belts are equipped with x-ray screening systems that facilitate examination of international arrival bags. The baggage claim area provides enough space for movement of passengers to collect their bags and exit through red or green channels.

Both automatic as well as manual screening processes are tested. The reverse process is also tested for arriving baggage where it is transported through the conveyor belt to the baggage carousel in the baggage make-up area.

BIAL has selected SATS/Air India and Bobba Group/Menzies Aviation as its strategic partner for the new airport’s cargo operation. The combined investment is approximately Rs 150 crore and the duration of the contract is 20 years. The combined area for both warehouses is approximately 15 acres with an initial capacity to handle three lakh tonnes of cargo annually.

The main cargo handling company at the HAL airport for many years, Mysore Sales International Ltd (MSIL), was not considered for managing cargo at the new airport. “The main reason being that (MSIL) did not meet the required standards,’’ remarked Albert Brunner, CEO, Bengaluru International Airport.

5. Immigration wing gets a makeover
Anil Kumar M | TNN

Bangalore: The immigration wing of the police at Bengaluru International Airport will have more personnel than the current airport as well as a new chief.

Once the airport starts operations on March 30, a DCP-rank officer designated as Foreign Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) will independently head the immigration wing. Currently, the wing comes directly under the Bangalore city police commissioner, also known as Foreign Registration Officer (FRO), but is technically monitored by a DCP-rank officer. “The department sent the proposal to the government. We hope it will be approved before the new airport opens,’’ police sources told The Times of India. The FRRO system is operational in the international airports at New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

In a move to augment immigration staff, the department moved a proposal asking the government to sanction total personnel strength of 257. This includes one DCP, three ACPs, 12 PIs, 124 PSIs, nine ASIs, 42 HC/AHCs and 66 PCs. The one at HAL airport has a staff strength of 144 personnel with one ACP, six PIs, 30 PSIs, 10 ASIs, 17 HCs, 65 PCs and 27 AHCs.

The police have expressed concern over provision of housing quarters by BIAL to them for working round the clock. “We don’t need any special facilities now as HAL airport is in the heart of the city. However, as the new airport is 30 km away, we need some housing facilities like the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF),’’ sources said.

The new airport has state-of-the-art infrastructure and brand-new facilities. It has 32 immigration counters, 18 at the departure terminals and an equal number at arrivals. “Space allocation at all processing points matches IATA standards even during peak-hour occupancy,’’ a BIAL representative said.

The space provided in front of immigration counters to accommodate passenger queues is based on peak-hour movement and said to exceed current requirement. “This space can accommodate future growth as well. Space has also been earmarked for detention rooms (for deportees and inadmissible passengers),’’ authorities said.

Immigration offices are equipped with LAN ports, cabling and power points based on requirements.

6. ‘I will be relieved when airport opens’ -Albert Brunner

Anshul Dhamija & Mini Joseph Tejaswi | TNN

Bangalore: Overseeing the development and construction of a mega project is no mean feat. And Albert Brunner, CEO, Bengaluru International Airport, has met his commitment of opening the new Rs 2,500-crore airport on March 30, despite numerous hurdles.
Brunner says some major challenges had been negotiating on various concession agreements with all stakeholders including the government; negotiating and getting sanctions from various ministerial bodies like civil aviation, defence and finance; and completing the project within the given time even as he was compelled to incorporate various changes in design and related adjustments at the airport. “I’ll be relieved when the airport opens,” said Brunner. However, the challenge will get tougher as the expansion of the airport entails doubling the investment with another round of negotiations on the cards. Brunner was appointed as CEO of BIAL in 2002. He’s been in the airport business for the last 16 years and has played a key role in planning the $2 billion Zurich airport expansion in Switzerland.
Sources said the most painful experience for Brunner has been the whole experience with the government’s apathy towards the airport infrastructure, connectivity and logistics. The government had enough and more time to develop adequate connectivity, as the project was mooted almost ten years ago.
It has been an uphill task for Brunner and there has been speculation that he may relinquish his post as CEO after the airport takes off on March 30. When TOI checked with him, he denied it: “At the moment, I have no plans of relinquishing my post. My contract with BIAL ends in April 2009. If I get a better offer before or later, I’ll definitely consider it.’’

Brunner was one of the first to moot the idea of a mass transportation Metro rail link, which the government is now working on.

By Hemanth C S,DH News Service,Bangalore:

Heres one reason why air passengers might feel that the Bengaluru International Airport at Devanahalli could be cheaper when compared to the GMR promoted Hyderabad international airport.

The fuel throughput fee fixed for aircraft at the Bengaluru airport is only Rs 700 per kilo litre of aviation fuel. This is not only a lot lesser than that to be levied for the Hyderabad airport, but also considerably lower than in most existing airports of the country, barring New Delhi and Mumbai.

Throughput fee is the payment made by fuel suppliers to the airport developer. The supplier will pass on the additional charge of throughput fee to the airlines, which, in turn, will pass the burden on to their passengers.
The airport developer auctions and hands over new fuel stations and other infrastructure facilities at airports to oil companies for which the throughput fees is paid.

“Every qualified fuel supplier will be able to sell fuel to airlines at the new Airport. This allows the airlines to choose the supplier of their choice. Since fuel prices have become one of the major cost factors of airline operation, airports have to offer airlines competitive fuel price structures in order to be an attractive destination for them. The implementation of a truly open access model like this is therefore of strategic importance for the new airport,” officials told Deccan Herald.

Devanahalli airport’s fuel throughput fee rate of Rs 700 is much lower than the Rs 2,170 per kilo litre of aviation fuel proposed by the Hyderabad airport promoters, who recently informed oil companies of their throughput charge.

The airline operators, especially the no-frills airlines have been complaining that their profit margins had declined due to the ever increasing Aviation Turbine Fuel rates and that they would be hiking the fare rates. Domestic airlines are collecting Rs 1,600 as fuel surcharge on every ticket.

BIAL’s move to keep a low fuel throughput fee should come as a surprise, since it had decided to charge user development fee of Rs 675 and Rs 955 for domestic and international passengers respectively.

Does this mean that BIAL passengers actually pay less than HIAL passengers for a smimlar duration flight?

Also was there any fuel throughput fee for airlines usinf the current HAL airport?

First flight at BIAL

The media was introduced to what lies in store for the public at BIAL on Thursday.
Here’s what passengers can do once they walk in hours before the flight (six hours for international and three for domestic airlines): Sip hot coffee at Cafe Coffee Day or chill out at Baskin Robbins over a chocolate fudge, shop at

Have I understood this wrong, or is he saying passengers have to check in 3 hours earlier for domestic and 6 hrs earlier for Int'l??? What's going on? Normally, the window is 1 hr for domestic and three for int'l isn't it?? Or is he assuming that because of the swanky shopping areas people would come in earlier? Thirdly, is he talking about transit passengers, which may be possible for Int'l but not domestic???

BTW, in the photo where the two ladies are doing the trial check-in, what's the machine on top of the counter? is it the ticket printer?

First time he said Walmart; it was a smart little quip...
Second time he said it; it was OK so you want to get your point across..
Third time, fourth time; WTF! are you a parrot who can only repeat 'walmart', 'walmart', 'walmart' ... What do you think of elevators? 'walmart'! How old are you? 'walmart'!

This airport is better than all the airports in India with the exception of HIAL. They are making an effort even though it was the governments fault for taking 10 years to approve everything once the plan was drawn up. There is no need for your upper middle class American condescension.

WTF! dont be a cheapie. How did you come to the "condescension" part ?
Are you some old hag who still believes in social structures and uppper middle class superiority over all others ?

When someone says "a warehouse like walmart" learn to take it at face value without analyzing the social structure. That BIAL is boxy and non-elegant is without question. The design's efficiency is questionable for anything other than a warehouse.

This airport reminds me of the sydney cross city tunnel with one difference - the alternative called "HAL airport" is being closed.

Have I understood this wrong, or is he saying passengers have to check in 3 hours earlier for domestic and 6 hrs earlier for Int'l??? What's going on? Normally, the window is 1 hr for domestic and three for int'l isn't it?? Or is he assuming that because of the swanky shopping areas people would come in earlier? Thirdly, is he talking about transit passengers, which may be possible for Int'l but not domestic???

BTW, in the photo where the two ladies are doing the trial check-in, what's the machine on top of the counter? is it the ticket printer?

he told it coz of the pathetic road conditions mayb!!!??:lol::ohno:
yes it is the ticket printer!!!:lol::banana:

When someone says "a warehouse like walmart" learn to take it at face value without analyzing the social structure. That BIAL is boxy and non-elegant is without question. The design's efficiency is questionable for anything other than a warehouse.

When some one says that once its fine but you are all over it again n again. i think it is high time for you also to take our advise at face value. we heard enough of you. You missin the whole point here.

You better go n bang at promoters face for a change. atleast they may here you....you can do that.

ok who are all these people in the airport, where do i apply to be one of the testers :)

When some one says that once its fine but you are all over it again n again. i think it is high time for you also to take our advise at face value. we heard enough of you. You missin the whole point here.

You better go n bang at promoters face for a change. atleast they may here you....you can do that.

The pessimists about the airport need to take a chill pill till the airport opens. Connectivity to the airport is the primary concern right now, much more than any design flaws.

Instead of repeating the same things about the design in every other post, we should debate more on how the ordinary and the corporate passenger will be able to reach the airport efficiently, both in terms of money and time, and from different directions. There has been some wonderful discussion going on about all this at bangalore.praja.in.

The airport expressway, the PRR and the airport train are atleast 3-4 years away. Assuming that we'll get a signal-less road from central B'lore to Hebbal and a complete trumpet interchange near the airport over the next 2-3 months, how best can we minimize the airport bound traffic on NH7, atleast till Hebbal? Can we block truck traffic on ORR during specific hours? Can we have those 'magic' underpasses at all ORR junctions (perpendicular to the ORR) so that ORR can be made a quasi-freeway to a large extent?

@indianocean, I don't want to speak on behalf of mooktada or luvBlore, but as a mostly silent follower of this thread, I find it jarring to see that most of your comments on this thread have been condescending of the airport, the airport promoters and anyone else associated with it, without even experiencing the airport. I find nothing constructive coming out of debates that start off from your posts. Infact, I've seen you diss the airport on the HIAL thread too.

I believe most of us here get your point about the shape and design of the airport but do you have any more constructive points beyond this?

Request you guys to please stop this flame war which is disrupting the thread.

Great pics of the new airport......I have been waiting to see some BIAL pics ever since HIAL released theirs. I kinda like the kool look of the firefighters and the Terminal looks really good from inside. Nice to see all those awesome looking vehicles on the airside replacing the junk they operate at all the other Indian Airports.
All the talk about the design of the Airport.....but seems to me with the extension coming up soon, the Airport might take a more mature look (Exterior) when finished and will look great.
Great going India......Both the Airports at Bangalore & Hyderabad will definitely change the view of International travellers visiting the country.
CHAK DE INDIA :banana:

guys cool it, everyone has the right to express thier opinions, irregardless of how bad you think they are, as long as there are no personal attacks. Indianocean is speaking his mind, why attack him? its only his opinion, its not going to make bangalore airport worse. Anyway, let stay on the thread topic.
:cheers:

Yes please! Personal comments are getting rather unruly and distracting - lets keep our emotions in check and look at what next - Hopefully BIAL have/ are looking into addressing external design aesthtic issues with their soon to be started extension plans. The interiors are looking inviting and most encouraging is the various airside equipment like baggage loader, tugs, crash tenders etc. which look up to date and next gen for an Indian airport.

The key issues now are transport to the Airport and cost to passengers apart from it's operation readiness for the D-Day. Then i'd eagerly await more current pics and flight / airport experience reports first hand.:)

^^CHECK PAGE 52!!!

I did. Didn't see any links.

Okay, since some of you guys cannot control your emotions I am deleting irrelevant stuff. But consider this a general warning. Next time there may not be any warnings.

I did. Didn't see any links.

I have the links at the bottom of the pics I posted on page 52 :banana:

Hello,
My first post in this forum! Looking at the picture of the departure area.. aren't the seats provided at each gate on the lower side... Number of passengers on an international flight will be at least 250+, but the seating provided might accommodate about 100. I am sure the planners thought about this scenario. The only explanation that I can think of is that this might not be one of the gates !

cheers,
f232



2. All for the GLOBAL SOUL...
Runway to airport

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Departure Lounge area at BIAL Airport
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/5231/bial2tu3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

New Delhi, February 22: The Bengaluru international airport takes off next month, but a volte-face by the Defence Ministry is blocking its Rs 2,500-crore expansion plan.

Source: Indian Express 22nd Feb 08 (http://www.indianexpress.com/story/276218.html)

New Delhi, February 22: The Bengaluru international airport takes off next month, but a volte-face by the Defence Ministry is blocking its Rs 2,500-crore expansion plan.

After giving the go-ahead almost four years ago, the Ministry now wants the project promoter, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, to change the location of the second runway, crucial for the expansion.

“The Ministry of Defence and Indian Air Force are now insisting that the second runway be on the northern side of the first runway even though no-objection certificate for BIAL site was given by the Ministry of Defence on March 3, 2004,” says a paper prepared for the Prime Minister's Office, which is directly administering the President-ruled state.

The IAF’s argument is that a new airstrip on south of the existing one would interfere with the traffic of its military training flights from Yalahanka airbase, 17 km away. The MoD fears that the alignment would intrude into the testing and development of aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd whose airport currently serves civilian flights.

Moreover, the MoD claims that the Sub-Group on Air Space Management had decided in March 2004 that BIAL should “preferably explore the possibility of the second runway to the north of the first runway”.

However, BIAL and the Karnataka Government say that it was not possible to go north as more land would need to be acquired, and also at least three villages would have to be shifted. In addition, there were two ‘irrigation tanks’ that would fall in the path of the northern strip. They want permission to construct the runway “as per the existing master plan”.

The deadlock has now been placed with the PMO, as BIAL plans to decide on the expansion project this year. Initially, the second runway was not anticipated until 2013, but with traffic expected to grow 30-35 per cent by 2010, the completion date is being advanced to 2011.

Public trials at the new airport will begin in March with an inauguration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 28 and commercial flights from March 30.

The airport is proposed to cater to 10 million passengers in the first year.

hehe... defence ministry also wants a part of the action (kickbacks for the uninitiated) :p

Source: Indian Express 22nd Feb 08 (http://www.indianexpress.com/story/276218.html)

New Delhi, February 22: The Bengaluru international airport takes off next month, but a volte-face by the Defence Ministry is blocking its Rs 2,500-crore expansion plan.

After giving the go-ahead almost four years ago, the Ministry now wants the project promoter, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, to change the location of the second runway, crucial for the expansion.


Mr Brunner's slogan will now be "Give us runway or we will run away!!"

:ohno:

The news makes be so mad, i feel like starting a campaign (protest, PIL...) against the MoD:

"Don't Stop BIAL!!"

Source: Indian Express 22nd Feb 08 (http://www.indianexpress.com/story/276218.html)

New Delhi, February 22: The Bengaluru international airport takes off next month, but a volte-face by the Defence Ministry is blocking its Rs 2,500-crore expansion plan.

After giving the go-ahead almost four years ago, the Ministry now wants the project promoter, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, to change the location of the second runway, crucial for the expansion.


:bash: MoD

Who on bloody Earth coined the term 'swanky'? Get over it, all you glass and steel hound-dogs. This airport is as classy as any current modern day airport goes. Has anyone on here stopped to think about the clean lines, simple colours, beautiful natural light, and more? I doubt that (barring a few). Get over your bloody Walmart, Tesdo, Asda, Cosco, or whatever the hell you guys draw comparisons to, and MOVE ON >>>>>

^^ on all accounts.

^^ on all accounts.

Guys! For sure the airport looks great.... but any idea on the state of the Trumpet Interchange!!! There were some snaps quite some time back and Mr Burner has said that it will be completed before Airport opens.... I believe this is what needs to be tracked at this moment of time... Any updated pics??

If India is growing fast, wait till you hear about Hyderabad and Bangalore. These two Southern airports are amongst the fastest growing. Traffic at Bangalore will touch 10 million this fiscal, recording a growth of over 33%, while Hyderabad is on the way to to 7.5 million. DP Singh, general manager (traffic) at the Airport Authority of India, who has been tracking air-traffic for the past decade says, “The growth is unprecedented.” All long-term projections are being redrawn to fit in the new numbers.

More here: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/The_Big_Story/New_Hyderabad__Bangalore_airports_to_benifit_travellers/articleshow/2806262.cms

I think robin_a_p has booked a TRV-BLR ticket in April. He got a message from Deccan that the arrival would be at BIAL, and they will get back if there is any change.

HAL Airport had helped me in the last two years to comfortably fly and live between Trivandrum and Bangalore. Now BIAL is one of the reason I am shifting completely to Bangalore, by April 2008.;)

wonder who will b the first to go to the new airport on SSC????:):cheers:

I think robin_a_p has booked a TRV-BLR ticket in April. He got a message from Deccan that the arrival would be at BIAL, and they will get back if there is any change.

HAL Airport had helped me in the last two years to comfortably fly and live between Trivandrum and Bangalore. Now BIAL is one of the reason I am shifting completely to Bangalore, by April 2008.;)

So you'd probably be the first one to post pictures of BIAL after it opens. You are well known for sneaking out snaps if it is a no-photography zone or not.:lol::lol::lol: I ll have to warn the security people of your arrival...

^^Perhaps not, since this time I am completely relocating to Bangalore, I would driving my car from Trivandrum to Bangalore. And my trips would be cut down much say once in several months..So i dont foresee any trips in April any more.

Hope Robin would help us, but he doesnot have the habit of taking photos nor carrying a cam.

I wish BIAL has some training planned for Indian Airlines/ Air india staff. My experience yesterday with them in BLR_DEL flight was miserable. Not only they occupy large no of counters but their staff drag bags manually etc etc.. i mean there should be some decency in the way they work. They are not coolies.. most looked elderly seniors etc.. And there was no announcement for flight delay 20 mins past the flight scheduled departure.. huh! I hope all these are integrated in the displays and we dont have to wait for the staff to shout in the mic to let us know of theses.

For the rest of the developments i see in this thread.. its very nice.. the air side equipment, the check-in counters and the staff wid helmets and training kinda thing going on etc.. I guess we will see orderliness and discipline.. only thing out of control for the BIAL could be the staff of the airlines.

Mr Brunner's slogan will now be "Give us runway or we will run away!!"



The news makes be so mad, i feel like starting a campaign (protest, PIL...) against the MoD:

"Don't Stop BIAL!!"

if MoD has its way then good luck BIAL....It happens only in india like this.....i want to use all the words to throw my anger but for what....!!

It took 15 years to ready new airport to the IT Hub..now wait same period for new expansion...

if MoD has its way then good luck BIAL....It happens only in india like this.....i want to use all the words to throw my anger but for what....!!

It took 15 years to ready new airport to the IT Hub..now wait same period for new expansion...

It was interesting...Indian Express (IE) was the only news website to have such an article. MoD clearance was necessary, but the IE may have slightly exaggerated on the issue.

I searched through google news for any such relating articles and found none. For all you know, it may just be a letter from BIAL to the PM's office stating that BIAL has the right to use the MoD's land. MoD may have just asked BIAL for a formal clearance from the PM.

Hopefully there won't be an issue this time, with the PM himself inaugurating the airport and getting an idea of how much the airport means to the city. Another point that the PM will look into is that BIAL has already obtained the NOC from the MoD in 2004.

Hmmmm MoD? thats a powerful dept. And the chances are that the MoD will have its way unless it can reorient its facilities.

But it is hard to imagine a walmart without a second entrace/exit into its (aircraft) parking lot.... :) :runaway:

Hmmmm MoD? thats a powerful dept. And the chances are that the MoD will have its way unless it can reorient its facilities.

But it is hard to imagine a walmart without a second entrace/exit into its (aircraft) parking lot.... :) :runaway:

Don't you still feel that you are going out of your way to prove an unnecessary point?:ohno:

Hmmmm MoD? thats a powerful dept. And the chances are that the MoD will have its way unless it can reorient its facilities.

But it is hard to imagine a walmart without a second entrace/exit into its (aircraft) parking lot.... :) :runaway:

^^ hey dude are u goin to stop that f****** walmart sh**?? It not funny anymore!

fellas, this response may be deleted coz it is offtopic (and for other reasons too). But read on... while it is still there.

I made that wa*rt analogy just one last time... and it was deliberate....No. I was not trying to be funny but alluding to something a bit more subtle but a typical Indian trait.

Why on earth do Indians try to shout and shut other Indians down? This is a free world. This site is a free media. I am not abusing anybody. Not even the airport - only comparing it to w*t. I am not using objectionable words or language.

Why cant you simply ignore what I say and just let it lie and die? Is that so hard to do?

It is the same shocker that we see over and over again. When Indians go abroad, they fall in line, wait for their turn behind the yellow line, drive in their lanes, drop litter in the bins, respect others rights, some even change their accents (with that stupid fake accent).

But when they come back, they do all the opposite things (including what you all have on the India part of this thread). Will you dare to try and stop someone from saying something when on, say, a british or american or australian skyscraper forum?

Either you wont have the guts or the mods there will kick you out quite unlike our mod suncity (?) who is acting like a local desi goon... (but to his credit he does post really fabulous pics).

BIAL video on the siemens site.

mms://media01.erlm.siemens.de/04040701/Albert_Brunner_BIAL.wmv

fellas, this response may be deleted coz it is offtopic (and for other reasons too). But read on... while it is still there.

I made that wa*rt analogy just one last time... and it was deliberate....No. I was not trying to be funny but alluding to something a bit more subtle but a typical Indian trait.

If you want to advertise walmart in this forum, its not really a problem. But people are getting bored to hear the same thing.

Okay you don't like the airport. You don't like the management. The CEO may have stashed away money in Swiss Bank accounts. We all know that by now. Now if you said that four times every month, people would have nothing to say and even paid your points some attention. But saying the same thing over and over and over again can be quite irritating to a lot of forumers. It's like gosh we get it. Now can we move on?

Why on earth do Indians try to shout and shut other Indians down?

That includes you too? Right?

This is a free world. This site is a free media.

This is not a free world in reality. Plus this is a privately owned forum.

I am not abusing anybody. Not even the airport - only comparing it to w*t. I am not using objectionable words or language.

A person's conduct usually gets judged by others.

For example I may think I am this noble judge while you may think I am a desi goon. Perspectives can be different.

Why cant you simply ignore what I say and just let it lie and die? Is that so hard to do?

Not everyone has the same level of patience. And you will have to deal with it as well, just as we are trying very hard to deal with your rants.

It is the same shocker that we see over and over again. When Indians go abroad, they fall in line, wait for their turn behind the yellow line, drive in their lanes, drop litter in the bins, respect others rights, some even change their accents (with that stupid fake accent).

But when they come back, they do all the opposite things (including what you all have on the India part of this thread).

Not sure what that has got to do with this.

Anway if you don't like the India part of the forum, there is nothing we can do.

Let's try this experiment. Take the Reagan National Airport. Now start posting something bad about Reagan National airport in the US forums - you can say it is like a third world airport. Repeat that post twice every day. After two weeks we will check back with you to see what is the reaction there. And don't say we gave you the suggestion. It is an experiment. right? And you can chose other airports as well.

Will you dare to try and stop someone from saying something when on, say, a british or american or australian skyscraper forum?

I don't go to those forums and so cannot comment. If you wish I can submit you as an example to the British and American mods and see what they have to say. I can pass on their viewpoints to you.

BTW I was checking the records. Thankfully for quite some time, no forumer has been banned or brigged for saying anything in the India subforum (let's keep it that way please). I cannot comment on the other forums as it is none of my business.

Either you wont have the guts or the mods there will kick you out quite unlike our mod suncity (?) who is acting like a local desi goon....

I am not sure who the other mods would have kicked out. But as long as I am here, you will have to deal with this desi goon.

And there is a PM option at the top right corner. Use it if needed.

Hmmmm MoD? thats a powerful dept. And the chances are that the MoD will have its way unless it can reorient its facilities.

But it is hard to imagine a walmart without a second entrace/exit into its (aircraft) parking lot.... :) :runaway:

^^^^
WHAT A RANT!

Allright, I'll comment as an Indian-American who participates on numerous American and international forums like SSC. The very same thing happens on all forums. These dialogues are all products of natural, universal human reaction and follow the same general pattern:

1) Member (A), who we are assuming is not a troll (because indianocean is not), posts something distasteful or inappropriate in some way to the general membership (B).

2) B informs A that the comments are not appreciated and demands that they be stopped.

3) A invokes free speech right. This right is never really there, because forums are privately owned and can be so controlled by their owners through moderators like Suncity. Additionally, forums are governed either by international convention or the laws of the country they are hosted in, not by the user's nation or forum's topic nation. However, most forums tend to maintain a high level of free-speech rights, as SSC does.

4) B returns by reminding A of its own right to free speech about A's speech.

Both 3 and 4 always happen and can cycle a bit. However, neither are totally true and always lead to a dead end, so they should be left out.

A has the right to free speech to the point that it is regulated by the forum owners and their rules. So B, the general membership, is really saying that A's comments are unwelcome and should be retracted. B is well within its power to do so. As is A to make his/her comments.

B has done all in its power. It has informed A of its disapproval and the moderator, C, is aware of the conflict. Therefore, the onus falls away from B to A and C. Body A has to make a decision. A has seen that its comments have no/small audience and have low approval.
A can choose to
1) stop making the comments
2) tone down the comments so that they do not come off obnoxious
3) keep going with the comments.
The first two are preferable to B, with the second being most preferable to all. 3 is only preferable to A, but A must realize that such an option will generally yield no fruit in the long term.
Should A choose option 3, as he/she often does in the heat of the moment, the onus falls on C, the moderator.
C chooses either to
C1)force A to stop commenting/tone down comments, good for B and generally the whole
C2) decide that the comments are not too obnoxious and allows them to continue as is, in which case B has no option but to move on.

Common sense. This is the way it always works out. Discussion about BIAL, positive or negative constructive, is always better than discussing the mechanics of forum argument.

^^^^
Enlightening...:nuts::nuts::nuts:
You doing a research on human response and behaviour?

Blah blah blah, blah blah, blah

Lord have mercy...SSCi has gone to hell! Great crop of new members here.

wow... what a bunch of emotional people... a really stupid suggestion for an experiment, a massive behavioral analysis by a jobless psychologist too. :nuts: :omg:

In the face of all this crap, my harmless statement made in jest (about BIAL, walmart and clonemart) is nothing.... some mookbi*ch doesnt like it and we have pandemonium all around. :ohno:

Ok... lets put a STOP to this...

Here's my note expressing regret:
I am sorry for saying bad things about BIAL and being the cause of dragging this thread through mud.... I will not say anything bad about BIAL either in jest or otherwise. The next time I land there, I will pay double the airport fee and go kiss the CEO's feet. BIAL - wow, what an airport!!! The CEO - wow, what a handsome guy!!! Go BIAL!!!


That should make all of you happy.....LETS STOP further psychoanalysis, please??? :lol:
PS: in afterthought, mr psychologist, please take it easy for calling you jobless... no offence intended.

IndianOcean, everyone in this forum have said this to you already - stop it. We believe you could have some truth in it. Your frustration and disappointments is understandable. This is not a place to vent your frustration. You can do it, but don't do it. Enlighten us with something new about the project - good or bad, we will like it and appreciate it.

STOP messrs heavenlydweller and kolkotawussi

please STOP flogging the dead horse..... :D

In the urge to attract upscale tourists, the middle and lower-middle class will feel the crunch, compelling them to pay equal charges to reach the airport as flying on a low cost airline. The private taxi service for lower and middle class has been neglected.

Full story here (http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120080223011502&Page=1&Title=Bangalore&Topic=0&)

22 February 2008

The Indian Government has said that the newly constructed international airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore may levy user development charges but only for outbound international passengers. This levy will enable airport operators to recover development costs. Both the airports will become operational next month.

The Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL) becomes operational on 16 March 2008, while the Bangalore International Airport Ltd begins operations on 30 March 2008.

While HIAL will levy a charge of $24.80 per international outbound passenger; BIAL will levy a charge of $22.40.

These Greenfield constructions will levy these charges according to a concession agreement the Government had originally signed with them, which allowed them to charge up to $18.80 per customer.

The airport operators, however, have opted not to introduce charges on domestic services for now.

Source (http://www.domain-b.com/aero/airports/20080222_user.html)

No offense taken personally. I have no intention of being Mr. psychologist who does psychoanalysis. Hell, I'm not even out of high school. I figure all psychologists had mental issues when they were growing up, which is why they became interested in the field. My comments were a long set of observations I have noted from having witnessed numerous arguments like the one we just had. I'd just like to get back to BIAL, as I'm sure you would, so we can stop beating all the dead horses, both the walmart comparison and the response to it. You'd agree? Best wishes.

Idontspam, thanks for the desc of the development fee. $22-25 is nothing on top of a $500 - $1500 international ticket. Hopefully this takes the tax off the common people and applies it to the group that necessitated an expanded airfield in the first place. The routes to be concerned about are the low cost Middle East routes. The taxi issue, I'm not sure what is going on here. High-quality taxis are part of an airport's image, and generally speaking, such a long journey in a good taxi will inevitably cost quite a bit. Hopefully the bus services can help with the demand for cheap transportation?

fellas, this response may be deleted coz it is offtopic (and for other reasons too). But read on... while it is still there.

I made that wa*rt analogy just one last time... and it was deliberate....No. I was not trying to be funny but alluding to something a bit more subtle but a typical Indian trait.

Why on earth do Indians try to shout and shut other Indians down? This is a free world. This site is a free media. I am not abusing anybody. Not even the airport - only comparing it to w*t. I am not using objectionable words or language.

Why cant you simply ignore what I say and just let it lie and die? Is that so hard to do?

It is the same shocker that we see over and over again. When Indians go abroad, they fall in line, wait for their turn behind the yellow line, drive in their lanes, drop litter in the bins, respect others rights, some even change their accents (with that stupid fake accent).

But when they come back, they do all the opposite things (including what you all have on the India part of this thread). Will you dare to try and stop someone from saying something when on, say, a british or american or australian skyscraper forum?

Either you wont have the guts or the mods there will kick you out quite unlike our mod suncity (?) who is acting like a local desi goon... (but to his credit he does post really fabulous pics).

It's not your comparison that is welcoming comments. It's its repetitive nature that is simply unnecessary. People here can understand and agree that it looks like a warehouse from the outside. But do you need to put that point across literally every time you post? People had let your comment die for the first 3-4 times. But it's only when it became repetitive people got bored.

Besides I am positive, when the phase 2 is completed, it will not look like a warehouse. At least it doesn't when you look at the masterplan and has some good imagination.

One more point is that you have been a critic of the warehouse exteriors. Have you ever appreciated the interiors though? Why this differential treatment? May be you don't like that either.

all of a sudden this thread has become one of the most happening threads :lol:

I had this chat with an airport taxi driver on my way back from the current airport the other night. He mentioned Indica's and Omnis are not even allowed to enter the new airport. They have authorized a couple of agencies and mandated that only Indigo, fiesta, innova and the like (ie fullsize vehicles) are to enter the pickup area.

I personally dont need a luxury taxi especialy when I am flying air deccan to Hyd, Chn. I am okay with inidca wih just carry on luggage. So I dont see any reason why I am not allowed to choose my mode of transport.

He also mentioned he wont be able to hold placards as it is not allowed. I did not believe that but he did mention they had numbered waiting areas and the taxis would pick up from there when called. I have not seen that system anywhere and am not sure how that works as he couldnt explain clearly

There are a ton of Indica's and Omni's around and I dont know what will happen to those.

I certainly hope the airport doesnt prevent cheaper taxi cabs such as the Maruti Van / Amby etc to enter/park at the airport - as long as they pay the parking fee and park in the designated places it can only be a win - win stituation for both the airport and the passengers too.

It could work out well for people who live in the northern side of Blore to reach the airport conveniently rather than wait for a bus or a more expensive cab...

There will be multiple modes of transport available from Volvo Buses to BMTC. Also Autos would be permitted upto the entrance to the airport and shuttles would be made available from there to the terminal and back.

the moderators gotta do something... we are here for infrastructure news - maybe a few opinions here and there - but basically infra news!! - this is going down the drain with personal attacks...

Trumpet Interchange would indeed be completed by the time of airport opening. And KSTDC pre-paid taxis allowed.. 100 of them. Parking rates also announed.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/22/stories/2008022259990400.htm

BIAL to collect only 50 p.c. of user development fee

Bangalore: Ruling out the option of keeping open the HAL airport after commencement of operations at the new airport at Devanahalli, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) Chief Executive Officer Albert Brunner on Thursday announced that the BIAL would collect only 50 per cent of the proposed user development fee (UDF) from the air travellers for the initial two months.

Addressing presspersons at the BIAL site, Mr. Brunner said the BIAL had decided to reduce the UDF to ease transition till May 31. With this reduction, the domestic travellers taking a flight from Devanahalli airport will have to pay Rs. 240 (excluding tax) as UDF and international travellers Rs. 520 (excluding tax). The UDF would be collected by the airline operators while booking the tickets.

However, the BIAL would start collecting full UDF after May 31 and till the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) is set up by the Government to regulate the UDF. The fee approved by the AERA would be in force for five years. Mr. Brunner made it clear that the BIAL is not inclined to reduce the proposed UDF while claiming that it was fixed in 2004 and the company had not revised it.

Stating that initial hiccups during relocation of airport was a common phenomenon the world over, he said that continuing commercial operations from HAL airport after opening the new airport will not be economically feasible both for the airline operators as well as for various firms with whom the BIAL had signed agreement for commencing various services in the premises of new airport.

“Even our agreement with the Government had made this aspect very clear and it would not be viable for the BIAL, which so far has invested about Rs. 2,500 crore for the project.”

He claimed that Athens, Oslo, Munich and some other cities witnessed a smooth relocation of airports to a new location despite initial problems. Only in a few cities, like Mount Real, that the old airports were allowed to continue commercial operations for “political reasons” even after opening the new airports and such attempts were proved uneconomical, he added
Rail link

Mr. Brunner said the BIAL would help the State government in providing elevated rail link to the new airport from the city. “We have informed the Government that we would build all infrastructure for rail link on the BIAL premises at our cost. The BIAL will hold 10 per cent equity in the company that would be created to implement the elevated link project.”

The first calibration flight will land at the new airport between February 26 and 29 for testing all aviation equipment, Mr. Brunner said. The first public trial (that is landing and take-off by the commercial airlines for trial) will be in the first week of March, he added.

BIAL’s Chief Operation Officer Marcel Hungerbuehler said that many private airlines like Kingfisher, Deccan, Jet Airways are likely to cooperate in conducting public trial.

Meanwhile, Mr. Brunner said that the parking fee at new airport would be less than that at HAL airport. He said parking fee would be Rs. 40 and Rs. 50 depending upon the space and parking time at new airport. Parking fee at HAL airport is Rs. 60 per hour. He also said that first 15 minutes free parking will be given to all drop off passengers. At present, there is a provision to park 2,000 cars in the parking area.

Referring to tax facilities, he said the BIAL is ready to offer 100 taxi licences to KSTDC (which was operating pre-paid taxies at HAL airport) as subcontractor to the operators who have bagged the contract for taxi service if it fulfilled the specified safety standard.

Mr. Brunner expressed confidence that the airport will be fully ready for operations from March 30. The first international schedule to depart from this airport will be the Air India flight to Hong Kong at 12.05 a.m.

The BIAL has also begun work on the design of the second phase of the airport at a cost of Rs. 4,000 crore which will include extension of the terminal building, additional aprons and if need be the second runway. Clarifying on the need for the second runway, Mr. Hungerbuehler stated that the existing runway has been exclusively designed to take the aircraft that has landed off the runway quickly.

The engineer in charge of the construction of the connecting road and the trumpet flyover S. Iyer of BIAL said that the trumpet flyover which is being built at a cost of Rs.125 crore will be completed by the time for inauguration of the commercial operations on 30 March 2008. The BIAL has also put the cargo handling facilities in place with over 480 acres of land being developed for the cargo yard, and the Mysore Sales International Limited has also expressed willingness to participate in the cargo segment.

Deleted

Customs Dept To Conduct Familiarization Trips For Stakeholders

Anil Kumar M | TNN


http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/9166/getimageeb7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Bangalore: Even as the Bengaluru International Airport authorities conduct trials of its various facilities, the customs department is gearing up to conduct a ‘familiarization trip’ (famtrip) for cargo stakeholders.

In a move to introduce stakeholders to the airport’s cargo complex, the customs department will conduct the trip for more than 10 business organizations.

The trip for industry captains and their representatives, which will start during peak hour traffic from Central Revenue Office on Queen’s Road, is scheduled for February 25.

“The idea is to sensitize trade partners and also to familiarize them with the layout of the cargo complex,’’ customs commissioner A K Kaushal told the Sunday Times of India.

In addition to associations bigwigs, bank officials and airline operators will also be invited for the trip, which was concretized by the customs department after a meeting with stakeholders last week. The industry associations shortlisted include: Bangalore Customs House Agents Association; Association of Clearance and Forwarding Agents; Bangalore Air Cargo Club; Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce; Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association; Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries; Federation of Indian Exporters Organization; Confederation of Indian Industries; Manufacturers Association of Information Technology and Director General of Foreign Trade.

Revenue from the air cargo being one of the largest money-spinners for the customs in terms of duty, the department wants to acquaint stakeholders with the cargo complex. A consortia, SATS/Air India and Bobba Group/Menzies Aviation, has been selected by the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) as its strategic partner for the cargo operation. The combined investment is approximately Rs 150 crore and the contract duration is 20 years.

The combined area for both warehouses is roughly 15 acres, with an initial capacity to handle 3 lakh tonnes of cargo annually.

The department expects to net a revenue of Rs 2,500 crore at the end of the current fiscal through air cargo. A total of Rs 2,008 crore was garnered in 2006-07, while the revenue was Rs 1,361 in 2005-06.

I am scared to even post anything with the forum language police in full force. :laugh:

But here is a really interesting link with a clickable map showing vision 2021 AD.

http://www.biaapa.in/

Surprisingly our govt has a vision for developing the airport area through the next decade.

BTW, is expressing surprise over the government move allowed or is that also an oft-repeated stale theme that is to be shunned ? :nuts:

photos copyright Suryaprakash

1
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/8458/bialterminalsuryaprakasdf8.jpg

2
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/3760/bial2suryaww4.jpg

3 - Is this part of the airport or something else?

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4402/bial3suryashc9.jpg

4
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4880/atctowersuryazm5.jpg

5
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/3175/airportaccesblrdu1.jpg

6
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6245/bialviewnewswg2.jpg

7
<--scroll if needed-->
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2527/bialviewsbs4.jpg

^^ Nice pics. The terminal building looks good from the entrance (pic2). Pic 3 and 5 look more like the AirIndia-Sats Cargo building.

nice pics dude........!!

Some more pics:

1. Coffee Day (too close to the escalators, IMO)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3195/2289814455_25beec5655_b.jpg

2. Kingfisher Sports bar (probably what most people are waiting for!)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2014/2289835701_982a7b2deb_b.jpg

Courtesy (and more pics): SuryaPrakash (http://picasaweb.google.com/vsuprak/BangaloreIntLAirport) and Suncity

yhx for the pics guys!! keep them coming! i wonder y rny they upgrading the site photos?? looked like u have njoid ur trip! he he he......

I love that BIAL has used neutral granite paneling. I'm totally impressed by the colour tones and materials. Great finish, from what I can see.

nice pics sun....more pics please...looks like BIAL is heading for a nice finish.

Is tht a beer bar??? or just a normal one....??

Is tht a beer bar??? or just a normal one....??

^^
LOL
The bar/ lounge at CSIA's 2A serves alcohol. CSIA's 2A is however, an exclusively international terminal. I'm not sure about the location of the KF sports bar in BIAL, and if domestic passengers will have access to it (considering that the consumption of alcohol is banned on all domestic flights...not sure if they allow pre-gaming before a domestic flight)

what does double arm aerobridge mean???

SuryaPrakash (http://picasaweb.google.com/vsuprak/BangaloreIntLAirport) and Suncity[/QUOTE] Pictures are the most informative so far about the current scenario at the airport.

Looks Good inside - very business like as is intended - of course first hand info after operation is the best info.

Hope there is adequate space for peak hour crowds till 2011 when the new expansion is commissioned...

ALL the best BIAL !! - You guys are now the cynosure of all eyes - Trial flights coming in perhaps from tomorrow and hopefully the airport transport requirements will be in place before the grand opening - roads, modes and all...

^^ A double arm aerobridge unless I am mistaken is like what they have at MIAL (the 8 aerobridges seen below on the left side of the CSIA Terminal 2B and 2C I think) where a single Jetty end in 2 aerobridge arms which can board passengers through 2 doors of the aircraft simultaneously.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3166/muminttermggl1on.jpg

Possibly, this should be in the BIAL thread, but here goes:

For Train Journey:
BLR : Avg time to City Station from most places - 30 to 45 mts
If I live in the eastern areas, I can board the morning Shatabdi at Cantonment station, however, the evening train does not halt there.

Chennai - Its a linear city, so I'd say avg time would be 45 mts - 1 hour to Chennai Central. However, a reasonably good local train system helps.

So total time by Shatabdi would be: 4.40 mts + 1.45 mts = 6 hrs. 25 mts

By Air:

BLR - To BIAL (not HAL) airport would be 2 hr., not withstanding what's written in the press. Actual time taken will probably be better known about a month after the BIAL commences ops.

Chennai Airport to home - same as for train above. 45 mts to 1 hr.

Journey time: 1 hour before check in.
Flight : 45 mts to 1 hr depending on whether its a jet or prop driven.
Check out time: 30 mts.

Total : 2 + 1 + 45mts + 30 mts + 1 = 5 hrs 15 mts.

Time difference : 1hr 10 mts. on an avg extra by train.

Fares : Shatabdi AC-Chair (non-exec class) : Rs. 600 approx
Air fare : Around Rs. 2,200 to 2600, plus development charges if applicable. ( I may be wrong on the fare amounts too). :)

I'll also add that a journey by car - either by Old Madras Rd. or by the GQ route should take about 5 hr 30 mts, point to point, if you leave early morn, or late night. Folks from Electronic City can get onto the GQ in no time.



Thanks Nelaturi

I think this underlines the importance of developing roads and rail connections between short distance trunik route travel between such major city pairs in India.

I would anyday prever to drive (self driven or even hire a driver for my car or a hired car) down to Chennai from Bangalore than fly down given the airport location/ cost and additional hassles and inconveniences involved travelling in different modes of transport point to point.

SuryaPrakash (http://picasaweb.google.com/vsuprak/BangaloreIntLAirport) and Suncity Pictures are the most informative so far about the current scenario at the airport.

Looks Good inside - very business like as is intended - of course first hand info after operation is the best info.

Hope there is adequate space for peak hour crowds till 2011 when the new expansion is commissioned...

ALL the best BIAL !! - You guys are now the cynosure of all eyes - Trial flights coming in perhaps from tomorrow and hopefully the airport transport requirements will be in place before the grand opening - roads, modes and all...

^^ A double arm aerobridge unless I am mistaken is like what they have at MIAL (the 8 aerobridges seen below on the left side of the CSIA Terminal 2B and 2C I think) where a single Jetty end in 2 aerobridge arms which can board passengers through 2 doors of the aircraft simultaneously.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/3166/muminttermggl1on.jpg[/QUOTE]

and also be able to board two flights simultaneously??? Because I was surprised when I travelled from CSIA last month and they made passengers of two flights enter throught the same gate by keeping a span of around 30 - 40 mins.

very good bunch of articles all published in feb-2008. all related to new airport and brand bangalore.

http://www.bialairport.com/pressroom_press_clippings.htm?cid=topmenu&ses=bial

^^ Nice pics. The terminal building looks good from the entrance (pic2). Pic 3 and 5 look more like the AirIndia-Sats Cargo building.

It is nice to see cargo buildings first time.....Airport Hotel is coming up at the site ? any update on this. I think we have seen enough of airport...time to follow trumpet interchange, airport hotel and cargo building... hotel is supposed to be ready by aug-sept-2008.

All about the Bangalore International Airport, here ( "http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/25slide1.htm")

what does double arm aerobridge mean???

Allows boarding through two aircraft doors.


and also be able to board two flights simultaneously??? Because I was surprised when I travelled from CSIA last month and they made passengers of two flights enter throught the same gate by keeping a span of around 30 - 40 mins.

No, if there was a 30-40 minute gap between boardings then they must have switched the plane.

Typically there isn't enough room for two planes to dock and when there is they are in each others way and departure from the gate would have to be coordinated.

All about the Bangalore International Airport, here ( "http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/25slide1.htm")

that link doesnt work... i fixed it . here is the working link http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/25slide1.htm

With the Bangalore airport announcing stiff user developmental fee on domestic passengers, low-cost carriers � JetLite, SpiceJet and Simplifly Deccan (formerly Air Deccan) � have decided to drastically cut their flight schedules to the city and other new airports like Hyderabad.

Bengaluru International Airport Ltd, which runs the new airport to be operational at the end of March, is imposing Rs 240 as UDF on domestic passengers flying from the city, which will be hiked to Rs 675 from June 1.

It has also imposed UDF of Rs 520 on international flights, which will be hiked to Rs 955 again on June 1.

The new Hyderabad airport, controlled by the GMR group, is also negotiating with the government on imposing UDF of a similar nature. GMR executives say that the charges will be finalised in a few days.

Says Gary Kingshott, CEO, JetLite: "We are seriously considering rescheduling operational activities to these airports. LCCs will have to minimise the operations to these airports."

Agrees Ajay Singh, director in SpiceJet, "We will oppose any charges and fees levied by the greenfield airports. The government initially assured us that post privatisation, there will be no hike in the charges. Any deviation from this stand will call for opposition. If charges go up, there is no alternative but to minimise operations to these airports and increase capacity to other airports like Chennai. From our perspective there are a lot of sectors to build capacity still."

Air Deccan, which has its headquarters in Bangalore, says that many of its flights will become virtually unviable. Top executives in the airline say that its average fare on a short-haul flight from Bangalore to Hubli is only around Rs 1,600.

"The UDF will constitute half the cost of the ticket. How will the market grow at all as the only thing you can do is pass on the increase," says a senior executive of the airline.

Deccan executives also argue that even on long-haul flights, the UDF would constitute of around one-third of the existing fare and will impede growth in these markets.

LCCs constitute a major percentage of the total flights, which operate in the two cities. As much as half the 232 flights to and from Bangalore are LCCs, while in Hyderabad it is well above 50 per cent (approximately 70 flights a day).

The existing airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore will be closed once the new airports are commissioned, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

The two projects at Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are at various stages of completion and steps have been taken by the state governments for providing connectivity at Shamshad (Hyderabad) and Devenhalli (Bangalore), Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel said while replying to a query.

"Commissioning of the new airports is pursuant to the provisions of the contractual agreements with the concerned airport companies," he said.

The existing airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore would be closed for commercial operations once the new airports become operational, the Minister added.

World1> Please try posting sources of the news reports.


For example this is how you should post the news (suggested)

Heading/link/text within QUOTE tags

Low-cost carriers to cut flights over user charges

http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=lmnu2&subLeft=1&autono=314984&tab=r

With the Bangalore airport announcing stiff user developmental fee (UDF) on domestic passengers, low-cost carriers (LCCs) — JetLite, SpiceJet and Simplifly Deccan (formerly Air Deccan) — have decided to drastically cut their flight schedules to the city and other new airports like Hyderabad.

If you do not follow the above suggestion, your posts may not be accepted.

Indrajal.com

I don't know why it doesn't work.
I looked at the link that we both wrote and they are the same.
I am not sure why it doesn't work

World1> Please try posting sources of the news reports.


For example this is how you should post the news (suggested)

Heading/link/text within QUOTE tags

Low-cost carriers to cut flights over user charges

http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?leftnm=lmnu2&subLeft=1&autono=314984&tab=r



If you do not follow the above suggestion, your posts may not be accepted.

sorry SIR!! i didnt kno that. thank u for telling me. ill do it from nxt time:)

I thought I will upload them for you all
http://www.bialairport.com/project_pictures.htm?cid=topmenu&ses=bial
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/1826/feb25acg4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/5586/feb25bpz6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/5815/feb25cwp3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/2042/feb25dpg6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3213/feb25ecr8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3351/feb25fmu5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/1194/feb25gpx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/252/feb25iaa8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Thanks for posting this soul..
They really need to hire a new photographer for bial. All of the other images I have seen of BIAL are much better than the ones that guy takes.

Excellent pictures ... been waiting for soo long ... they haven't updated the Construction Progress yet ...

I just got one word: WOW.


Bangalore at its Best.... Superb!!!!

Thanks Indian Soul

:applause:

http://www.bialairport.com/project_status.htm?cid=leftnavigation&ses=bial
Progress report in BIAL website has been updated. They talk about the trials and readiness programes being undertaken now. No construction update as such. I guess its now trials and reals. :)

^^ There is still no sign of the flight information display system (apart from the one wall mounted TV). If that is all that is planned for the entire check-in area, it better have amazing clarity from atleast 20 feet.

But given that BIAL has surprised many with its fantastic finishing and 'business-like' interiors, it may have something good lined up.

Also, the main access road in the pic above may well be the road coming from the trumpet interchange. I say that as the speed sign is placed on the right side and the road on the left curves downwards.

Nice pictures, and hopefully BIAL will update the pictures sometime within the next 10-15 days. Thanks indian-soul.

Bangalore: Trumpet fly over work hampered (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=68939)
Bangalore Feb 27: The Trumpet fly over work that has been taken up by Bangalore International Airport Limited on NH7 has stopped. Thanks to the effects of the truck strike the materials have not reached the project site.

According to the Chief Engineer of BIAL S. Iyer for the last three days no trucks have come to work and the work has been severely hampered. The trumpet fly over has to be ready by 22nd of March before the BIAL international airport opens for commercial operations. The trumpet fly over which is being built at a cost of Rs. 150 crores is a vital link to the airport from the National Highway7.

The earth moving machinary that were working on the site have been ideling following the non availability of the trucks. Presently the main ramp to the entry on the first loop was being built and there is one more loop towards Bangalore city that has to be completed Mr. Iyer told.

Bangalore: Trumpet fly over work hampered (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=68939)
Bangalore Feb 27: The Trumpet fly over work that has been taken up by Bangalore International Airport Limited on NH7 has stopped. Thanks to the effects of the truck strike the materials have not reached the project site.

According to the Chief Engineer of BIAL S. Iyer for the last three days no trucks have come to work and the work has been severely hampered. The trumpet fly over has to be ready by 22nd of March before the BIAL international airport opens for commercial operations. The trumpet fly over which is being built at a cost of Rs. 150 crores is a vital link to the airport from the National Highway7.

The earth moving machinary that were working on the site have been ideling following the non availability of the trucks. Presently the main ramp to the entry on the first loop was being built and there is one more loop towards Bangalore city that has to be completed Mr. Iyer told.
^^
Truck strike has been called off.! Should start work from today

i must say i am not impressed with the quality of the pics... we have seen better pics from other sources... i was expecting more detailed and never seen before kinda pics like the airport village, shopping areas etc.... after all we waited for about two months for the updates..

i dont c any double aerobridge??? or mayb my eyesight isnt gud...!

Thanks Indian Soul for the update. One issue I haven't seen discussed here is - why is there only set of escalators, that too at one end? Wouldn't that be insufficient / inconvenient, and, wouldn't that create a crowd near its base, possibly spilling over to nearby check-in queues.

My question too is whether the escalators are at the end/corner of the building or are there more check-in counters on the side from where the picture is taken ?!? The width of the escalators sure is bigger than normal ...

Maybe the baggage claim area is on this of escalators ... ?!?

Picture this

Is the new Bengaluru International Airport (see images) jinxed? This was a question asked by several people looking at the number of hurdles it faced till the completion of the project.

First, the Tatas walked out of the project, and then there were problems regarding the acquisition of land and finally a stinker from the Union government, which said it was unhappy with the design.

But the implementers of the project managed to overcome all these hurdles. A week ago, Albert Brunner, chief executive of the Bangalore International Airport Ltd was all smiles when he announced that the first flight would take off on March 29.

Bengaluru had finally got a full-fledged international airport and no longer did it have to rely on a make shift arrangement it had all these years.

But the ride is not as easy as it seems.

Several people in the city have now moved the court seeking a direction to, both, the Karnataka and the Union governments to keep the HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) airport open at least for domestic operations. The Karnataka high court has now directed the BIAL (Bengaluru International Airport Ltd), the Union and the Karnataka governments to file a reply on the petition.

The new airport is spacious, can accommodate more flights, has state-of-the-art facilities, but people are worried about the distance of the airport from the city. Picture this -- travel for nearly three hours to the new airport, which has a two hour check-in for domestic flights for a flight to Hyderabad or Chennai to cover that distance in just around 45 minutes! Sounds strange, but this is true.

The travel time to reach the new airport has irked people as it seems like a never ending journey. Before the High Court it was contended that passengers will face lot of problems to reach the new airport. Taking a cab to the new airport would cost at least Rs 1,000. While domestic passengers have to pay a user development fee of Rs 675, international passengers have to pay Rs 955. However, this fee has been slashed by 50 per cent only till May 2008.

It is being contended that since Mumbai and Delhi airports do not impose such a fee and why should Bengaluru be any different?

Talking about distance, the persons who will be hit the most will be those from the IT sector. People who have to reach the airport from the Electronic City or International Technology Park where most of the major IT firms are located will have to travel at least 43 kilometres to reach the airport. The traffic snarls will make the journey worse for IT professionals.

The closure of the old airport is bad news for the HAL also. It is estimated that HAL airport will lose revenues to the tune of about Rs 150-170 crore (Rs 1.5-1.7 billion) every month. Given a choice HAL would have no problem in keeping the old airport open at least for domestic flights. As a backup, there are various plans in case the HAL airport is shut down. There are plans of setting up a shopping complex, a helicopter charter service or an aviation academy.

The closing down the HAL airport would result in more losses. It was only recently that the HAL airport was remodeled by spending crores of rupees to handle international flights.

However, there are a host of benefits at the new airport. Once within the airport one would not have to worry about traffic jams, which are a part of the HAL airport. There would be more flights, more space in the airport and facilities for passengers.

Once the trumpet flyover connecting the new airport and the metro rail link comes up then the traffic woes and the issues regarding the travel time will be sorted out instantly. But these projects may take at least a while to come up.

While several people from the city feel that the old airport should be retained for domestic operations the BIAL feels otherwise. Albert Brunner says that there is no question of keeping both the airports open. He says that operating two airports simultaneously would be disastrous.

To operate two airports on a long term basis is a bad idea and would also be disastrous for the airline operators, passengers and for the overall business. Cities which have dual airports like Hong Kong and Munich have turned out to be a disaster as the airports have never grown.

The London airport sees passenger volumes of 140 million, while New York has 150 million air passengers per year, Bangalore has just 10 million. "Here is a unique opportunity for Bangalore airport to be a major hub in south India by having one big and strong airport," Brunner says.

Regarding the petition before the high court, Brunner says that they will be filing a reply shortly. For now, it is an interesting battle between two airports in the same city.

Source: Rediff.com (http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/27bengaluru.htm)

OK IMPORTANT !!

I need help with getting a link to a webpage of repute where it authenticates my claim of the new BIAL's IATA Code : BLR & ICAO Code : VOBL

As i have some great shots of the new airport from up-top/Airport Overview, which i want to put-up on JetPhotos.net & obviously their database dosent quite have the Airport Details yet.

So i'm in contact with the JP database editor and i need anyone from you to get me the details QUICK !!!!

Thanks in Advance
Cheers - Vishal :okay:

Picture this



Source: Rediff.com (http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/feb/27bengaluru.htm)


Jinxed? That's an evil comment :ohno:

but one thing is worrying .. If we take Bangalore to Chennai for instance, it's about 350 kms and 6.5 hours by train.

A person wanting to fly will have to leave 5 hours early (2 hours for check-in and 3 hours for travel, just to keep a safe margin). The flight is 45 minutes and collecting check-in baggage and departing out of the airport will take minimum another 30 minutes. So, we are spending the same amount of time that we require to travel by train!

Cost wise, taxi may charge Rs. 1000 to Bangalore airport and the flight charges may be anywhere close to 2000 (low cost airliner). Add UDF of 675 to that! :nuts:

"Picture this -- travel for nearly three hours to the new airport, which has a two hour check-in for domestic flights for a flight to Hyderabad or Chennai to cover that distance in just around 45 minutes! Sounds strange, but this is true".


With the new airport's capacity to handle more passengers and supposedly state of art facilities, why should check-in time be 2 hours prior to departure for domestic flights. It could easily be 45-30 minutes.

OK IMPORTANT !!

I need help with getting a link to a webpage of repute where it authenticates my claim of the new BIAL's IATA Code : BLR & ICAO Code : VOBL

As i have some great shots of the new airport from up-top/Airport Overview, which i want to put-up on JetPhotos.net & obviously their database dosent quite have the Airport Details yet.

So i'm in contact with the JP database editor and i need anyone from you to get me the details QUICK !!!!

Thanks in Advance
Cheers - Vishal :okay:

Try http://www.azworldairports.com/indexes/p-apiab.cfm

Try http://www.azworldairports.com/indexes/p-apiab.cfmThanks mate, but that dosent show VOBL anywhere !!!!

Have you contacted BIAL itself?

Poor Road Link Sees Steep Decline In Air Bookings
Anshul Dhamija | TNN

Bangalore: Fears are coming true. The new Bengaluru International Airport appears to be putting off travellers flying on short-haul routes — those that have a flight time between 30 minutes and an hour.
Reason: the airport is around 40 km from the city and the accessibility is poor. Most are dreading the commute to and from the airport and the expense involved. The rail and road options could be more attractive for many.
According to a senior official of a low-cost airline, ticket sales for April and May between Bangalore and Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai and Coimbatore have dropped between 30% and 35% compared to the same period last year.
“Those who are travelling before March 30, when the new airport opens, and plan to come back after March 30, are booking onward flight tickets but are wary about booking their return tickets,” said the official. “Passengers having to fly out of the city from the new airport are thinking twice if their chosen destinations are on the short-haul sectors.”
Over 40% of the flights out of Bangalore are to short-haul destinations. Low-cost airlines fill up close to 70% of their capacity through bookings made one to two months in advance, as prices of tickets increase closer to the date of travel.
A majority of these advance bookers are visiting-relatives-and-friends segment of passengers who plan their travel well in advance.
Observers say airlines may now have to rethink their shorthaul strategy. “If people find train and bus travel to be a smarter option, then airlines will have to discontinue certain short-haul routes or rationalize their frequency on some,” said an industry observer.
Full-service airlines say they haven’t seen a dip in sales post-March 30. But a Jet Airways official said sales on short-haul routes could take a beating until passengers get attuned to travelling the long distance to the new airport.
At a recent press briefing, Albert Brunner, CEO of Bangalore International Airport Ltd, had said the new airport would witness a 26% increase in domestic flights compared to what HAL airport currently handles. HAL now handles over 300 domestic flights a day.
This is on account on the availability of additional slots. But airlines operating across the price spectrum have told TOI that the additional slots will be used to increase traffic on long-haul routes like Bangalore-Mumbai and Bangalore-Delhi, as well as open newer long-haul routes from the city. Short-haul routes are unlikely to increase.

No FLYING Start

Over 40% of flights out of Bangalore are to short-haul destinations

Airlines see a drop in bookings

Poor accessibility to new airport reason

Airlines may have to rethink strategy

Just imagine the passengers travelling just between B'lore and Hyd ... they have to shell out UDF on both ends :(

luvBlore

Can you please put those articles in the Quote tags. and mention the link as well. :)

Thanks

Poor Road Link Sees Steep Decline In Air Bookings
Anshul Dhamija | TNN

Bangalore: Fears are coming true. The new Bengaluru International Airport appears to be putting off travellers flying on short-haul routes — those that have a flight time between 30 minutes and an hour.
Reason: the airport is around 40 km from the city and the accessibility is poor. Most are dreading the commute to and from the airport and the expense involved. The rail and road options could be more attractive for many.
According to a senior official of a low-cost airline, ticket sales for April and May between Bangalore and Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai and Coimbatore have dropped between 30% and 35% compared to the same period last year.
“Those who are travelling before March 30, when the new airport opens, and plan to come back after March 30, are booking onward flight tickets but are wary about booking their return tickets,” said the official. “Passengers having to fly out of the city from the new airport are thinking twice if their chosen destinations are on the short-haul sectors.”
Over 40% of the flights out of Bangalore are to short-haul destinations. Low-cost airlines fill up close to 70% of their capacity through bookings made one to two months in advance, as prices of tickets increase closer to the date of travel.
A majority of these advance bookers are visiting-relatives-and-friends segment of passengers who plan their travel well in advance.
Observers say airlines may now have to rethink their shorthaul strategy. “If people find train and bus travel to be a smarter option, then airlines will have to discontinue certain short-haul routes or rationalize their frequency on some,” said an industry observer.
Full-service airlines say they haven’t seen a dip in sales post-March 30. But a Jet Airways official said sales on short-haul routes could take a beating until passengers get attuned to travelling the long distance to the new airport.
At a recent press briefing, Albert Brunner, CEO of Bangalore International Airport Ltd, had said the new airport would witness a 26% increase in domestic flights compared to what HAL airport currently handles. HAL now handles over 300 domestic flights a day.
This is on account on the availability of additional slots. But airlines operating across the price spectrum have told TOI that the additional slots will be used to increase traffic on long-haul routes like Bangalore-Mumbai and Bangalore-Delhi, as well as open newer long-haul routes from the city. Short-haul routes are unlikely to increase.

No FLYING Start

Over 40% of flights out of Bangalore are to short-haul destinations

Airlines see a drop in bookings

Poor accessibility to new airport reason

Airlines may have to rethink strategy


This is exactly what I meant! I myself dropped the idea of traveling by flight on shorter domestic routes. I regularly fly to Pune and would rather take a bus than a flight considering the fare and time it takes for almost no advantage at all!

Wonder when BIAL would be responding to the PIL that HAL airport should be kept open on domestic routes!

This is exactly what I meant! I myself dropped the idea of traveling by flight on shorter domestic routes. I regularly fly to Pune and would rather take a bus than a flight considering the fare and time it takes for almost no advantage at all!

Wonder when BIAL would be responding to the PIL that HAL airport should be kept open on domestic routes!


If time is a factor then there is no option to but to go by flight and shell the money out. But those who have shifted to low cost carriers for it costs a trifle more than train/bus and provided better comfort and speed - these people would now re-think. I would definitely do that if i was one such. Its a good 25% increase over HAL prices (including more taxi fare) not to mention the traffic and its associated frustrations. :ohno:

BIAL has not come clear on if UDF is over and above the additional charges levied by HAL to which some one pointed out earlier (Passenger fee or smthin).

link http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=57693dd2-d9a5-4a47-8452-e70d4bab02a3&&Headline=Bangalore+air+traffic+to+go+sky-high+soon


With the new international airport set to open March 30 in India's silicon city, domestic and foreign airlines are waiting in the wings to launch new services and increase frequencies from this southern hub to new and existing destinations both in India and abroad.

"We are getting a lot of enquiries from leading carriers operating in the domestic and international circuits," said Marcel Hunger Buehler, the chief executive for Bangalore International Airport Ltd.

"Many of them have come calling to inspect the facilities, including the four-km runway, parking bays, apron capacity, taxiways, air traffic control (ATC) and turn-around-time for quick landing and departure," Buehler told IANS at the project site in Devanahalli, around 37 km from the heart of the garden city.

"With the initial capacity of the greenfield airport being twice that of the existing airport in the city, airlines will have enough space to operate many flights efficiently and economically from day one. Domestic and international airlines can even scale their operations during peak and non-peak hours."

Bangalore has the third busiest airport in the country after Mumbai and Delhi due to the phenomenal growth of air traffic over the past three-four years, largely driven by a booming IT sector and all-round economic growth in the country.

"Bangalore airport has witnessed the fastest growth (30-35 percent) in the country in terms of passengers and cargo since our consortium signed the concession agreement (CA) with the central and state governments in July 2004 and took up construction a year later," Buehler said.

"When the 50-year-old state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in the city surpassed the projected annual growth of eight million passengers in 2006-07, we had to revise the blueprint to club the first phase with the second phase for expanding the capacity to handle 10-12 million passengers over the next two-three years."

As part of the CA, the HAL airport will shut down for civilian operations March 29 midnight and all flights, including feeder services, will have to use the new airport.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to formally inaugurate the airport March 28.

"Hong Kong-based Dragon Air and Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, have already sought clearance to operate daily service from the new airport. Existing international airlines, such as Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Gulf Air and Emirates plan to increase the number of flights a week to provide better connectivity and more capacity."

"Similarly, domestic carriers such as Jet Airways and Kingfisher will launch international flights to Europe and the US in the coming months. We expect other airlines, including Air India and Malaysian Airlines to increase services to existing and newer destinations."

Passenger traffic from Bangalore is projected to increase by 26-30 percent in fiscal 2008-09 on domestic and international routes to achieve an annual growth rate of 40 percent.

Air cargo traffic is also poised to grow by about 30 percent due to huge capacity increase to handle about 300,000 tonnes of freight annually.

"In the long-run, Bengaluru airport will be positioned as a strategic hub in southern India for east-bound and west-bound flights, providing global airlines an alternative to Mumbai in the west and Delhi in the north."

"Our game plan is to take up the next phase of expansion in 12-18 months at an estimated cost of Rs.25 billion ($625 million) to handle 15 million passengers annually by 2014-15, with a second runaway to facilitate landing and taking-off every minute by an aircraft," Brunner said.

As against 24-26 flights every hour at the city airport during peak hours, the new airport will be able to operate 30 flights during the same time.

The combined first phase of the project has a fully air-conditioned central terminal for domestic and international passengers, rapid exits, 42 aircraft stands, eight passenger boarding bridges, 54 check-in counters and five belts, including two double belts to handle arrival baggage of 10 flights at a time.

Located on the east of Bangalore-Hyderabad national highway (NH7) and spread over 3,900 acres, the swanky airport will have parking place for about 2,000 cars at any given time, various auxiliary buildings, a fuel farm, rescue and fire fighting facilities, ground support equipment, airline support facilities, two major cargo warehouses and flight kitchens.

Built on a public-private partnership model, the airport will be operated by BIAL, a consortium of Unique Zurich Airport and Siemens Projects Ventures and Larson and Toubro with a combined equity stake of 74 percent and two state promoters Karnataka State Investment and Industrial Development Corp and Airports Authority of India holding the remaining 26 percent stake.

HEY,
i just thought that maybe if v started a joke thread! ITS ur wish i just gave an idea......!!! its up to mods. if not needed its ok no problem!!! it was just an idea. but thank u for READING IT ATLEAST!:)
and i also gave the link. so.............. dont be angry people!:banana::lol:
i am havn my xams now so maybe ill post later!:ohno:
man i hate these xams. but theyll give u confidence in tense situations(sorry for the out of topic)
Waiting to come back!:(

PM likely to inaugurate Bangalore International Airport (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=69067)

BANGALORE/NEW DELHI Feb 28: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is likely to inaugurate the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli near Bangalore on 30 March 2008. Highly placed sources in the BIAL have stated that the Prime Minister's office has been approached for his presence at the international airport inauguration and the sources in the home department have also confirmed that such a request has gone to the PM's office. But the PM's office confirmation was yet to come.

It could be recalled here that the BIAL will inaugurate the new airport on that day and the remaining work is being completed at a war footing. According to sources in the BIAL the work on Trumpet fly over had resumed and the airline offices have started migrating their IT bases as they found the Airline offices that have been prepared by the BIAL acceptable to their standards. Singapore airlines, Kingfisher, Jet airways, Deccan, Dragon airlines, Indigo, spicejet, Indian and Air India and many other airlines have confirmed their completion of migration by March 15. In the new development the Japan Airlines has also shown some interest in operating from Bangalore.

According to a communique from the BIAL the airside road the approach road and the four lane road were already ready and landscaping was in progress. The parking slots were now being lined and fountains were being laid. The state of the art airport systems will be completely operational on March 15 and the first dry run was being organised.

Poor Road Link Sees Steep Decline In Air Bookings
Anshul Dhamija | TNN

Bangalore: Fears are coming true. The new Bengaluru International Airport appears to be putting off travellers flying on short-haul routes — those that have a flight time between 30 minutes and an hour.
Reason: the airport is around 40 km from the city and the accessibility is poor. Most are dreading the commute to and from the airport and the expense involved. The rail and road options could be more attractive for many.
According to a senior official of a low-cost airline, ticket sales for April and May between Bangalore and Hyderabad, Kochi, Chennai and Coimbatore have dropped between 30% and 35% compared to the same period last year.
“Those who are travelling before March 30, when the new airport opens, and plan to come back after March 30, are booking onward flight tickets but are wary about booking their return tickets,” said the official. “Passengers having to fly out of the city from the new airport are thinking twice if their chosen destinations are on the short-haul sectors.”
Over 40% of the flights out of Bangalore are to short-haul destinations. Low-cost airlines fill up close to 70% of their capacity through bookings made one to two months in advance, as prices of tickets increase closer to the date of travel.
A majority of these advance bookers are visiting-relatives-and-friends segment of passengers who plan their travel well in advance.
Observers say airlines may now have to rethink their shorthaul strategy. “If people find train and bus travel to be a smarter option, then airlines will have to discontinue certain short-haul routes or rationalize their frequency on some,” said an industry observer.
Full-service airlines say they haven’t seen a dip in sales post-March 30. But a Jet Airways official said sales on short-haul routes could take a beating until passengers get attuned to travelling the long distance to the new airport.
At a recent press briefing, Albert Brunner, CEO of Bangalore International Airport Ltd, had said the new airport would witness a 26% increase in domestic flights compared to what HAL airport currently handles. HAL now handles over 300 domestic flights a day.
This is on account on the availability of additional slots. But airlines operating across the price spectrum have told TOI that the additional slots will be used to increase traffic on long-haul routes like Bangalore-Mumbai and Bangalore-Delhi, as well as open newer long-haul routes from the city. Short-haul routes are unlikely to increase.

No FLYING Start

Over 40% of flights out of Bangalore are to short-haul destinations

Airlines see a drop in bookings

Poor accessibility to new airport reason

Airlines may have to rethink strategy

If operators discontinue certain short haul routes, good riddance. The airport will be saved some traffic and consumers would have found a cheaper, faster, less tiresome way to make the journey.

I have always faced delays and offloading and mismanagement to be the way these LCC operated, especialy on BLR-CHN route. Shatabdi is still my preference anyday.

Dudes, why is everybody complaining about the increased taxi fares to the new airport. If its a business trip its taken care of and for a personal trip please don't take the whole family and the pet dog to see off at the airport instead use the proposed BMTC buses and travel alone and cheaper. And if the family is also traveling then the transport component against the total tickets prices is quite small so should not pinch.

LCCs have two choices:

1.) Cut flights out of BLR and HYD, which are profitable and high % seating routes and thus lose lots of revenue/profits .. If the pax still fly, they'll bear the loss

2.) Increase flights out of other cities or 2nd tier cities which may not be profitable and take risk of low % occupancy thus decrease in revenue/profits ... here pax benefit but airlines lose

either way, it's a lose-lose situation ...

I think it's better if the govt allows progressive increase in UDF starting at Rs. 250 or just similar to what AAI charges for its so-so service, then increase it year after year until they recover their investments ... and this time, the govt better decide upfront how many years BIAL or HIAL will charge this UDF ... hopefully they won't permit these companies lifetime royalties ...

Hello,
Here is an article from Deccan Herald.

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb292008/scroll2008022954832.asp?section=updatenews

======================
Devanahalli: Ministry team in City today
From B S Arun, DH News Service, New Delhi:
Concerned over the delay in the Devanahalli international airport fully adhering to the required norms for the project to become operational, a high-level team of the civil aviation ministry is visiting Bangalore on Friday for an on-the-spot inspection.

The ministry had made an inspection of the airport on February 8 and made several suggestions on various aspects of the project, which will be thrown open to commercial traffic on March 30 after inauguration by the prime minister on March 28. The team will now see whether these suggestions have been implemented.

Ministry sources told Deccan Herald here on Thursday that the team is being led by joint secretary K N Srivastava and comprises Airports Authority of India chairman K Ramalingam and Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation Kanu Gohain.

The DGCA, the regulatory body, has to give the licence to the airport before making it functional. But for that, several parameters have to be adhered to. As for AAI, the air traffic control (ATC) will be manned by its personnel although the airport is a greenfield project.

In its previous inspections, the ministry had made 54 observations on the various aspects of a functional airport.
Most have been complied with by the project developer and operator Bengaluru International Airport Limited.

However, there were 14 parameters which remained outstanding. It is these issues the ministry will examine for compliance. These 14 comprise issues relating to the ATC including the control tower and the equipment.

During its last visit, the ministry was not happy as the equipment had landed on the day the inspection took place.

The team will find out whether it has been installed as per set norms. The AAI will have to certify that the ATC is in operating condition, a chief requirement for aircraft to land and take off.

During its last visit, the team was understood to have found that there was a delay in the ATC tower construction and was not happy over the equipment landing late. Now efforts are on to instal the equipment in time for the first test flight.

Other parameters include delay in the second circuit of runway lighting as well as continued construction activities inside and outside the airport.

The team will decide which of the activities on the airside of airport need to be stopped.

The Centre will take up another inspection on March 7. That visit will be led by ministry secretary Ashok Chawla.

======================

Sounds like another hurdle to clear before the airport opens. Does every new airport face these kind of hurdles at every step in the process or are the press sensationalizing every small issue that comes up?



f232

Thanks mate, but that dosent show VOBL anywhere !!!!

Vishal would this help?...continuing from the above link given by yyzhyd I found this...

http://www.azworldairports.com/azworld/p1750.cfm#b

...which indicates
Bangalore International Airport (BLR/VOBG) Tel: +91 (0)80 527 7844, Fax: +91 (0)80 522 8010, e-mail: adbng_aai1@vsnl.net


BLR VOBG the co-ordinates seem to belong to the old airport VOBG

Perhaps if you contact them or the BIAL team they should be able to give you the required info i guess...

Vishal would this help?...continuing from the above link given by yyzhyd I found this...

http://www.azworldairports.com/azworld/p1750.cfm#b

...which indicates
Bangalore International Airport (BLR/VOBG) Tel: +91 (0)80 527 7844, Fax: +91 (0)80 522 8010, e-mail: adbng_aai1@vsnl.net


BLR VOBG the co-ordinates seem to belong to the old airport VOBG

Perhaps if you contact them or the BIAL team they should be able to give you the required info i guess...Hey thanks for helping out Ramesh. Unfortunately, on this website too they dont quite have the details for the new ICAO Code VOBL yet !!

Guess what, i came across, and it dosent have any info on it either :lol: :weird: :bow:
http://www.bialairport.com/images/logo.jpg (http://www.bialairport.com/)

They've built-up a damn multi-million dollar architectural marvel & yet they havent mentioned one of the most basic of information yet, i'd still take their side & think that perhaps they 'MAY' not have got the confirmation from ICAO yet ???
Donno, but lets wait & see asto how long it takes, surely shouldnt be long now considering there's just a month to go for it to open.

It may not matter what the code as they havent installed any equipment in the ATC. Even the latest pictures show a cleanly mopped control tower interiors. The airport taxi driver a few weeks back mentioned about equipment not being installed and indicated they will be in a position to handle flights only in Dec. I ignored him for wishful thinking and living in a state of denial. After reading the inspection article above, about the equipment he was right. Apparently he does know quite a bit. I am not so sure about the december bit though that might still be wishful thinking, especially his indica types may be out of a job.

^^ Does this actually mean that the current ATC at the HAL airport will control traffic into BIAL?
Surely they need visual reference too as a back up when bring an aircraft in to land or take off ...this can only happen with an on site location....or can that requirement be circumvented with modern technology?
Thought this should have been in place by now after BIAL announced test flights around this time 26th onwards...or at least by Mar 7th latest when the civil aviation ministry comes calling to check on operation prepardness of BIAL...

Hyderabad and Bangalore Airports to issue user development charges for outbound international (http://indiaaviation.aero/news/airline/7562/59/Hyderabad-and-Bangalore-Airports-to-issue-user-development-charges-for-outbound-international)
22-Feb-2008

Indian Government approved greenfield airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore to issue user development charges for outbound international passengers, to allow for airport operators to recover development costs.

The new airport in Hyderabad is to become operational on 16-Mar-08, while the Bangalore airport is to officially open soon after, on 30-Mar-08.

Details include:
-GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd: USD24.80 per international outbound passenger;
-Bangalore International Airport Ltd: USD22.40.

The concession agreement the Government originally signed with the airport operators permits them to charge upto USD18.80 per customer. The airport operators however have for now opted not to introduce charges on domestic services.

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted:22-Feb-08

It may not matter what the code as they havent installed any equipment in the ATC. Even the latest pictures show a cleanly mopped control tower interiors. The airport taxi driver a few weeks back mentioned about equipment not being installed and indicated they will be in a position to handle flights only in Dec. I ignored him for wishful thinking and living in a state of denial. After reading the inspection article above, about the equipment he was right. Apparently he does know quite a bit. I am not so sure about the december bit though that might still be wishful thinking, especially his indica types may be out of a job.

that could have been a simple case of the photo showing the outward view. It is improbable that they would not have taken care of the second most important feature in an airport after the runways.

An L&T private plane did land in the airport, didnt it?

that could have been a simple case of the photo showing the outward view. It is improbable that they would not have taken care of the second most important feature in an airport after the runways.

An L&T private plane did land in the airport, didnt it?

Lets hope you are right and they havent screwed up in anyway. We will know the outcome of the inspection soon.

Good show BIAL n HIAL- for Domestic passengers if charged later, please keep it at a reasonable level like Rs. 200 max at current value...




I was looking at the New Changi Terminal 3 discussion thread and oddly it reminded me of BIAL - similar box like superstructure, and interior colour theme of green and cool colours. Interestingly with a tropical forest theme it is aimed at portraying Singapore as a garden city that it is known for .

Sounds familiar doesnt it.

It got me a bit excited thinking of how the interiors of our own BIAL could be further enhanced given it's design leaning towards the 'Garden city' tag as seen in the logo design and plants with lot of natural light streaming in etc. Also according to the architects there a rectangular box design is the most simple and least confusion for people to navigate through...


Thought of new ideas like say

-the circular aircon vents replaced by our famous arts and handicraft sculptures (or modern interpretations of them with a suitable airflow orifice) partly jutting out of the glass wall like say the heads of elephants/ horses / swans or ornate Indian pots etc.

-pillars carved like in our temples (in Changi T3 the red pillars are inspired by those of a Chinese palace I believe)

-say major skylight zones with internal gardens looking like courtyards as in our traditional houses with big urlis brass pots with traditional indian flower petals (Jasmine for eg.) floating in them etc...
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/hyapic03/05-34.jpg
By hyacinthus :
Here even the plants and the black border looks like our BIAL item - were they inspired by this? A natural tropical plant wall is such a nice soothing idea...and Ahh that slim vertical art-deco waterfall doesnt take up much real estate...yet makes a huge diff - gurgling waterfall noise...soothing...wot say BIAL?
http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/6751/fointainsmlhx3.jpg[/QUOTE]
Copyright Cliff
^^Nice welcome wall in many languages - These are some of Singapores national languages here English and Tamil...;) no kidding
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc220/hyapic03/08-29.jpg
By hyacinthus :

- Indian fragrances like mild aggarbathis (STRONG ONES can put off people from some cultures/countries/tastes) wafting around certain say shopping areas

- really liked the idea of using plants inside baggage carrousel to de-stress especially when waiting longer for you baggage after a delayed AI:nuts:(hope not) flight from the US... Ok maybe in BLR fake plants or a small water feature will have to do given that we dont have a skylight over this spot...Interestingly this Baggage carrousel is like our BIAL model Flat with stainless steel borders and unlike the slanted HIAL types - yet this one here at T3 looks so good...getting ideas for BIAL?:)
http://www.pbase.com/raymondcheah/image/85958697/large.jpg
Copyright © RCheah @ clubsnap

Take a look here and see what ideas can enhance our BIAL and the next phase extensions ... Singapore Changi T3 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=539679&page=5)


Also you may note that each new terminal of Changi is different architecturally, unique and attractive yet all well integrated into the same airport so the new BIAL phases need not look exactly like the earlier ones to be attractive/ effective in user experience...

Do share any new ideas you may get - BIAL may be listening directly or indirectly...

All this can make a subtle but strong impact to user experience more than mere pictures can tell...



I for one see a lot of possibilities for BIAL inteirors when taking a peek at the Singapore Changi T3 (different scale and budget so no direct comparison with BIAL please- yes these are real pictures) - and an opportunity to use many uniquely Indian elements - after all a Boxy structure is a good canvas to start painting on and is universal. It is the details than can be used as a diffferentiator.

Since we have the good fortune of being Bharathiyya we have the choiciest of cultural and heritage design elements to pick and choose from for detailing design inspiration.

The interior of BIAL is pleasant as it were and it is these little details preferrably understated like the rest of the design that can make it unique and special and still keep it's businesslike efficient facade I feel...
This methinks will go quite a long way to portray our country/city in the best light possible and really enhance the pleasure of using BIAL.

r those pictures for real or just the bottom one or are they all renderings ONLY???

None of 'em are renders - all actual photos.

daym...
those are beautiful pictures..

Singapore is such a beautiful airport!

daym...
those are beautiful pictures..

Bangalore is such a beautiful airport!

LOL. That's Terminal 3 @ Singapore Changi, not Bangalore.

^^^

Yeah sorry.. I knew it was Singapore Airport... ... But typo ...

edited

Changi looks beautiful :)

Btw any news on the supposed central-team visit of BIAL ? Trial runs too were supposed to be run on 26 or 29th as well, right ?

Is this the Hebbal flyover or trumpet jn ? The name of the file indicates it's hebbalyfly.jpg or something .. but it was posted by the person in hyd int'l airport album ...

Source: http://picasaweb.google.com/rao.qps


http://lh6.google.com/rao.qps/R6LLVZfCJLI/AAAAAAAAAQs/28ebKmAgoQ8/hebbalfly.jpg

The Hindu-1st Mar '08 (http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/01/stories/2008030157820300.htm)

Special Correspondent

* Central team will visit the site on that date

* Team will be led by Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla

* Ministry officials inspected the airport site on Friday


BANGALORE: The crucial decision on whether to stick to the deadline of March 30 for commencement of operation of flights from the international airport at Devanahalli will be taken on March 7 when top officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation inspect the airport.

According to sources in the government, a team led by Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla will visit the site on March 7 to review the preparedness of the proposed airport to commence operations.

On Friday, a group of officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation inspected the airport site and reviewed the progress of preparatory works.

As per norms, the new airport has to take licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for commencement of flight operations. The sources said that the DGCA had made 59 observations regarding various issues concerning to the commencement of operation of flights.

One of the main observations included that the work on the second circuit lighting for the runway was yet to be completed.

“The ongoing work is likely to be completed by March 25.”

The sources said that though provisional licence could be given on the basis of single circuit lighting, the second circuit lighting was important to handle emergencies, the sources said.

Air Traffic Control

Regarding steps to establish Air Traffic Control, the sources said all equipment had arrived and the work in this regard was likely to be completed by March 20.

The trumpet interchange connecting the National Highway 7 to the new airport is likely to be ready by March 27, according to the sources.

They said that the Union Civil Aviation Ministry officials were satisfied with the “speed” of the work. But they had decided to wait till March 7 to take a final call on whether to allow the commencement of operation as per the schedule depending upon the actual progress of the work on that day.

Meeting

Meanwhile, a Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) spokesperson said the meeting at the BIAL project site was organised to update its board members about the project developments and such process were mandated.

Though the inspections by the officials of the Ministry are routine, Friday’s inspection assumed significance as the airport is getting ready for operating calibration flight and conducting public trial scheduled in the first week of March.

As per the present schedule announced by the BIAL, the new airport will be inaugurated on March 28 and the operation of flights will commence from March 30.

Is this the Hebbal flyover or trumpet jn ? The name of the file indicates it's hebbalyfly.jpg or something .. but it was posted by the person in hyd int'l airport album ...

The interchange pictured is indeed the Hebbal Interchange. One of the examples of a poorly designed interchange due to the fact that there are restrictions in building a multilevel interchange.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6996/hebbalflydr5.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hebbalflydr5.jpg)

Due to the above restriction, Ramp1 as marked in the picture, cannot go over the cloverleaf, and has to go so much North (towards bottom in the picture) before making almost a sharp U turn (slowing down the traffic). This could have been easily prevented by having the blue coloured ramp at a higher level than the colverleaf. I wonder when we build something we dont go for the best design.
Certainly cost was not the factor here, as the length of the current ramp is much longer than the blue one, though for the ramp going at the higher level, the pylons will have to be stronger and go deeper.

Sorry for the out of topic post!

The interchange pictured is indeed the Hebbal Interchange. One of the examples of a poorly designed interchange due to the fact that there are restrictions in building a multilevel interchange.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/6996/hebbalflydr5.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hebbalflydr5.jpg)

Due to the above restriction, Ramp1 as marked in the picture, cannot go over the cloverleaf, and has to go so much North (towards bottom in the picture) before making almost a sharp U turn (slowing down the traffic). This could have been easily prevented by having the blue coloured ramp at a higher level than the colverleaf. I wonder when we build something we dont go for the best design.
Certainly cost was not the factor here, as the length of the current ramp is much longer than the blue one, though for the ramp going at the higher level, the pylons will have to be stronger and go deeper.

Sorry for the out of topic post!


^^I am no civil engineer, but that would not be possible since the ramp would have a very high slope since it would have to rise and fall rapidly in a much smaller space.The longer ramp is to provide a gradual rise in slope.

Hyderabad and Bangalore Airports to issue user development charges for outbound international (http://indiaaviation.aero/news/airline/7562/59/Hyderabad-and-Bangalore-Airports-to-issue-user-development-charges-for-outbound-international)
22-Feb-2008

Indian Government approved greenfield airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore to issue user development charges for outbound international passengers, to allow for airport operators to recover development costs.

The new airport in Hyderabad is to become operational on 16-Mar-08, while the Bangalore airport is to officially open soon after, on 30-Mar-08.

Details include:
-GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd: USD24.80 per international outbound passenger;
-Bangalore International Airport Ltd: USD22.40.

The concession agreement the Government originally signed with the airport operators permits them to charge upto USD18.80 per customer. The airport operators however have for now opted not to introduce charges on domestic services.

(c) Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Date posted:22-Feb-08

^^
Damm!. It comes to INR 996 and 896 respectively I don't understand how this being calculated. There should be some transparency here in coming up with this figure!.
Both airports are expected to handle double the volume of estimated traffic.

The Hindu-1st Mar '08 (http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/01/stories/2008030157820300.htm)

Special Correspondent

* Central team will visit the site on that date

* Team will be led by Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla

* Ministry officials inspected the airport site on Friday

.
.
One of the main observations included that the work on the second circuit lighting for the runway was yet to be completed.

[.

WTF!. Second Circuit is not ready ? What happens the when the primary circuit fails in the very first flight landing on 30th march.

Constraints will plague new airport: Official (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar22008/state2008030255122.asp)
DH News Service, Bangalore:

Flight operations at the new Bengaluru International Airport near Devanahalli would be saturated within its first year of commercial operations, warned a senior Airport Official on Saturday.

Delivering a talk on ‘Airport Services - Current Limitations and the Trends’, S R Iyer, deputy general manager, Airport Services Division, HAL said the situation at the new Bengaluru International Airport would be ‘bad’ as it would be plagued by a number of constraints.

“The airport will be saturated within its first year as the prediction is - close to 40 million passengers are expected to use the airport. Even in case the new airport has an additional runway which is at present yet to be approved by the Ministry of Defence, the airport will not be able to take 20 million passengers,” said Mr Iyer.

He said the promoters should immediately start the Phase - 2 and Phase - 3 projects of the airport to meet the every increasing demand.

“For this summer, around 448 landing slots have already been booked. To start with, the new airport will have only 42 parking bays which is insufficient for a green field airport,” he added. The existing HAL airport itself has 37 parking bays. He also said that the airspace available to the new airport would only be 35 to 40 per cent, and the rest would be taken by the HAL and Air Force Station, Yelahanka.

Suggesting the need to review the existing civil aviation rules and to upgrade the technology and infrastructure facilities, he said that new airports should come up while retaining the existing ones. “We need to create independent parallel runways with parallel and rapid exit apart from privatising the Air Traffic Control,” he added

A million litres of water daily to airport (http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/02/stories/2008030260620100.htm)

Swathi Shivanand

BWSSB says this will not hit supply to northern and western areas of Bangalore

The agreement is subject to water availability in the river source

Water will be sold at Rs. 66 a kilolitre to BIAL in addition to monthly charge of Rs. 1.20 lakh

BANGALORE: While a cloud of uncertainty hangs over several issues concerning the international airport at Devanahalli — road connectivity and the date of the airport’s opening, for example — there is one critical requirement that appears to be on track: round-the-clock potable water supply.

Transporting water 22 km away is no mean feat and the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is confident of achieving that. The board is due to sign an agreement with Bangalore International Airport Ltd., to provide one million litres of potable water to the airport every day when it starts functioning.

Although this falls sorely short of nine million litres that the BIAL asked for three years ago, it is nevertheless a major commitment for a public utility that must first serve the water needs of Bangalore’s residents.

Thus, the water supply to the airport, which is located in Bangalore Rural district, will be contingent on whether the board receives adequate water from its river source. “In case we cannot pump water from Cauvery for some reason, then we will not be able to provide water to the airport.

There is no penalty for this in the agreement,” Latha Krishna Rao, BWSSB chairperson, told The Hindu.

All agreements that the BWSSB enters into with industries are subject to water availability and pressure. “We will not make an exception in the case of BIAL,” Ms. Rao said.

For the BIAL, water from BWSSB is critical as there is a blanket ban that the Mines and Geology Department has imposed in the area on drilling borewells for groundwater.

“As the groundwater in the area has been classified as overexploited, no borewells can be drilled for any purpose, be it industrial or agricultural,” said N. Chandranna, senior geologist at the Mines and Geology Department.

Rate


The water is crucial in that it can service the hotels and other passenger facilities on the BIAL campus.

Hotels outside the campus are facing problems with regular water supply as the area falls outside the jurisdiction of the BWSSB. For every kilolitre the BWSSB provides, it will charge the BIAL Rs. 66, which is 10 per cent more than the commercial rates.

This is in addition to the Rs. 1,20,000 that the BIAL will have to pay the water board every month as infrastructure maintenance charge.

While insisting that water supply to BIAL will not affect supply to the northern or western parts of Bangalore, Ms. Rao said water would be supplied to BIAL from the 100 million litres of additional water that is being drawn from the Cauvery to cater to the 72 newly added wards in the city.

The water is being supplied through a 22-km pipeline that the BWSSB laid from Hegganahalli near Nagarbhavi to the airport campus.

The water will have to be additionally pumped at Hegganahalli and from the reservoir on the University of Agricultural Sciences campus.

Resolve the Deadlock!

Imagine the plight of us Bangaloreans when the airport is expected to be saturated by this year end itself and the Ministry of Defence is now dithering over the location of the second runway even after earlier approving the master plan. They claim that Yelahanka airspace will be affected by these civilian flights - is there a possibility that the HAL airport is used more now for defence requirements rather than Yelahanka Aerodrome?

BIAL requested 9 million litres and they get 1 million litres daily!!!
This doesnt sound good! -
If the airport's needs are not met now what about the aerotropolis with all it's commercial complex requirements ? And surely this will apply the brakes on rapid expansion too.

Hope this is resolved at the earliest and the expansion phase of BIAL starts at once!!! Let us learn form our earlier mistakes and not repeat them - especially with time frames stretched from the Government's end.

they can charge for water :p they can have mineral bottles being sold ONLY.

The Hindu:3rd March '08 (http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/03/stories/2008030373240300.htm)

BANGALORE: With just less than a month before the scheduled commercial launch, the first flight trials would be conducted at the international airport at Devanahalli near here this week.

Chief Executive Officer of Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) Albert Brunner told The Hindu that flight trials at the airport would commence this week.

He, however, refused to give details about the exact date or the commercial airlines that would participate in the trials.

He said: “Everything will be smooth and without any problems before the airport becomes fully operational on March 30.”

Resolve the Deadlock!

Imagine the plight of us Bangaloreans when the airport is expected to be saturated by this year end itself and the Ministry of Defence is now dithering over the location of the second runway even after earlier approving the master plan. They claim that Yelahanka airspace will be affected by these civilian flights - is there a possibility that the HAL airport is used more now for defence requirements rather than Yelahanka Aerodrome?

BIAL requested 9 million litres and they get 1 million litres daily!!!
This doesnt sound good! -
If the airport's needs are not met now what about the aerotropolis with all it's commercial complex requirements ? And surely this will apply the brakes on rapid expansion too.

Hope this is resolved at the earliest and the expansion phase of BIAL starts at once!!! Let us learn form our earlier mistakes and not repeat them - especially with time frames stretched from the Government's end.

These things typically happen. Eventually they will get through. I'm sure BIAL would have asked for more than they want and BWSSB would be giving less than they can. So... :cheers:

There is an improved and more detailed master plan now in BIAL website. I see markings of various facilities (Kitchen, cargo, etc..). Also it looks like it has been super-imposed on a map of the actual location. I don't know if it has been posted before. Here it goes -

(c) Bangalore International Airport Limited

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/1106/masterplan08hp9.jpg

^^^^

CooL!!

I can see a 'blueprint' of 2nd runway in the updated plan, but is there a 2nd terminal building there ? I don't see it !

So its the fuel farm and hangars and maintenance that will greet the passenger entering from the city before they get the sight of terminal building :( Maybe constructing the terminal building in the place where the fuel farm is would have saved every commuter lot of petrol too ...

What BIAL CEO keeps saying is "they can mirror the same thing on the other side". So they should have a simillar terminal on the other side. Hehehe. What i notice is that terminal is smaller than everything else.. and kitchen is so huge.. comparable to the terminal. May be it is so in every other airport, i dont know. Wish they would label other areas including buildings planned for future expansion.

Such a large area and so much in non-aeronautical use. The terminal seems the least important thing in the whole plan. I don't know what to say!!! I wish our AAI was competent enough to build an airport of international standards and we would not have to give so much to these private players to make profit.

i agree - the terminal should have been closer - fuel farms and mro operations could have been located on the opposite side.

i agree - the terminal should have been closer - fuel farms and mro operations could have been located on the opposite side.


By looking at the latest plan.it looks the plan is more designed for other things then passenger capacity.Terminal buildings should have been little bigger...i firmly believe that master plan will end up with H shape for sure but terminal buildings look small.there is clear space for H terminal building in the above pic....though space is very congested. Map units may mis lead sometimes...it is better to wait n see how it unfolds.

Wonder why they have provided rapid exit taxiways only for planes landing from an easterly direction. The other 2 rapid exit taxiways shown in the plan seemed to have been replaced by a single perpendicular runway exit - smacks of costsutting. I would have thought the original blueprint which has been followed in HIAL's case has been deviated from.

It would be ok if the general wind flow direction throughout the year is from west to east - this will reduce runway capacity a bit if planes have to land from a westerly direction...

There is space given for the terminal expansion but i wonder if it is cost effective in the long run to ferry passengers to the remote parking bays or build satellite terminals with contact bays connected with underground travellators like in the new Heathrow T5 / Atlanta. There seems to be some space available between the remote parking bays on the top and the runway - as opposed to the space between the proposed second runway and the remote parking bays at the bottom.

This is the runway the MoD is hesitating to approve right now due to Yelahanka airspace concerns...

Yes, the terminal building definitely looks rather small compared to the master plan. In the initial master plan, it looked like they were going to expand the terminal on both sides. But wonder what they have in mind.

Whats more worrying is the time they will take to expand the present terminal and build the second runway (if they are allowed to, that is!)

But hopefully, the preent terminal will serve the purpose for sometime. The last thing people want is big queues in a new airport.

sorry, same as above

also hope brunner will come down a step and announce that they'll not charge UDF for domestic pax just like HIAL did today ...

btw, good observation rkramesh ... rapid exitways should have been put on the other end too .... a runway capable of take-off n landing in both directions is highly desirable for airports with just one runway ...

is there a reason why bial n hial opted for east west alignment ? why not north-south ? i guess in tropical countries with lot of sunny days, east west alignment causes some problems during sunrise n sunset hours ... true ?

This is how i believe the terminals (pink) and concourses (dark color types) should be as per the plan if we go over the rectangles in that (I'm not good in these engineering drawings). Compare this with the other image of the plan above and we find the current terminal has been squeezed to be smaller in width (East-West).

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1166/masterplan08modcd3.jpg

Beijing builds the worlds largest terminal and we go ahead and build one of the worlds smallest. What a contrast!

Hamaara chota airport! :-) I guess we should say it is small and cute. :-(

I wonder how this terminal can cater to 50 million passengers even after expansion when for similar capacity airports in other places/countries seem so massive. We want PPP cause our govt machinery cannot build these. And the side effects of it being the promoter would always wannu make profits (Understandable). Wish our s*n of b**ches govt machinery could be more competitive and build these.

A bit off this forum topic - Delhi airport master plan.. its good.. huge terminal when all the phases are completed and lots of aerobridges. I hate boarding bus to get into a aircraft.

^^^^

50 Million passengers's capacity is not going to be until at least 2015 or may be 2020. By that time they should definitely come up with something good well spaced to handle that many passengers.

THE PPP would help keep the airport more organized and clean then its governmental counterpart. That's why I would opt for PPP.

is there a reason why bial n hial opted for east west alignment ? why not north-south ? i guess in tropical countries with lot of sunny days, east west alignment causes some problems during sunrise n sunset hours ... true ?

To the best of my knowledge Raghu, runways are aligned in line with the prevailing wind patterns in that geographical location. I believe the prevailing winds in many airport sites either flow in one direction or exactly in the opposite direction which is how the runways are normally aligned. This is based on ground data acquired over the year.

Also according to a discussion item #1166 in the earlier part of this thread Even BIAL will not charge UDF for it's domestic passengers but departing international passengers pay between Rs. 900- 1000/-...

BIAL had to align its runways in parallel with IAF's yelahanka air base to facilitate smooth operations of both airports. In fact, according to reports, the 2nd runway alignment of BIAL has not yet been cleared by IAF/MoD.

To the best of my knowledge Raghu, runways are aligned in line with the prevailing wind patterns in that geographical location. I believe the prevailing winds in many airport sites either flow in one direction or exactly in the opposite direction which is how the runways are normally aligned. This is based on ground data acquired over the year.

Also according to a discussion item #1166 in the earlier part of this thread Even BIAL will not charge UDF for it's domestic passengers but departing international passengers pay between Rs. 900- 1000/-...

thanks for the info ramesh ... probably the jet stream flows pretty close to india too, the lower one ... since both mumbai n delhi, the busy routes, are north of b'lore n hyd, it'd have been easy maneuver for pilots if the runways were north-south alignment :)

And for the UDF at BIAL, there is no UDF only for the first two months after which BIAL is going to charge Rs. 625 or 675 as they decided earlier. Brunner keeps saying that everytime.

in mumbai planes take off towards the arabian sea and then turn around to blore/delhi etc. must be a hassle? but gives great views of mumbai city :)

BIAL had to align its runways in parallel with IAF's yelahanka air base to facilitate smooth operations of both airports. In fact, according to reports, the 2nd runway alignment of BIAL has not yet been cleared by IAF/MoD.

Yes Ravi - this is surely a valid point given the proximity of the Yelahanka air base. But even the airbase runway when initially designed would have taken the flow direction of the predominant winds as confirmed in this wikipedia runway link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runway)...
Since as many would know already that for fixed-wing aircraft it is advantageous to perform take-offs and landings into the wind to reduce takeoff roll and reduce the ground speed needed to attain flying speed.

The second runway has not been by the MoD because of concerns that overflying aircraft coming in from the south or (during some flight emergency) must not intrude into restricted military airspace above Yelahanka given especially that a large number of foreign airlines (some of them from countries not too friendly) will also now be flying in.
It is preposterous for the MoD/IAF to have woken up to this ground reality so LATE long after the initial airport plans were approved by their peers in the earlier years!


Interesting basic info from the wikipedia runway link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runway)...Info on runway lighting is also found here...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Runway_diagram.svg/700px-
-The Runway Strip is the cleared, grassy area around the paved runway. It is kept free from any obstacles that might impede flight or ground roll of aircraft, although the grass is not always necessarily in good condition. The grass is often marked with white cones or gables.

-The Runway is the entire paved surface, which typically features threshold markings, numbers, centerlines, and overrun areas at both ends.

-Blast pads, (the Yellow Chevron arrow head section seen above) also known as overrun areas or stopways, are often constructed just before the start of a runway where jet blast produced by large planes during the takeoff roll could otherwise erode the ground and eventually damage the runway. Overrun areas are also constructed at the end of runways as emergency space to slowly stop planes that overrun the runway on a landing gone wrong, or to slowly stop a plane on an aborted take-off or a take-off gone wrong. Blast pads are often not as strong as the main paved surface of the runway and are marked with yellow chevrons. Planes are not allowed to taxi, take-off or land on blast pads, except in an emergency.

-Displaced thresholds (the White arrows between the yellow arrows and the threshold) may be used for taxiing, takeoff, and landing rollout, but not for touchdown. A displaced threshold often exists because obstacles just before the runway, runway strength, or noise restrictions may make the beginning section of runway unsuitable for landings. It is marked with white paint arrows that lead up to the beginning of the landing portion of the runway.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/RunwayDiagram.png/650px-

Our BIAL singleton as seen in the earlier airport plan seem to have both the Blast pads (the large empty rectangles at either end) and displacement thresholds at either end when the taxiway meets the runway - a painted snap of course will confirm it...

Is there anything surrounding BIAL (nearby) that it would need displaced thresholds?

If we see what is being planned for Delhi -

-> for 27 million Passengers annually they are building 4.4 million (sq feet) = 408,773.376 sq meters size terminal. (As per master plan in http://www.newdelhiairport.in/page.asp?id=new-terminal-building.asp)

-> for 11 million pax annually BIAL is building 70,000 sq metres size terminal.

For 40% of delhi capacity BIAL should have had 40% of delhi terminal size which would be around 160,000 sq metres. Guess we are in for congestion and suffocation considering we built a new airport - a green field one. :-(

Rediff Link.........
http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/05air.htm

"The ceremonial ribbon has not yet been cut on the two new airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore but the airport authorities have already had their first taste of the shape of things to come and learnt their first lesson: Running an airport is fraught with daily challenges and controversies.

At the heart of the issue is the user development fees the authorities propose to charge from the first day and which is now being questioned by the civil aviation ministry on the grounds that since connectivity is an issue with both the airports, the passengers will face a double whammy.

First, you spend a huge amount to reach the airport (not to mention the huge time spent, depending on which part of the city you are trying to access it from) and then you pay through your nose to pass through them.

But guess what? The fees, which have been signed on in what now appears a very poorly thought out concession agreement, are in a sense cast in stone and have legal sanctity (not the actual numbers but the fact that they will be charged and the formula on which they will be calculated, which is based on capital invested, rate of return and the debt-service ratio).

Now, after adding the cost of reaching the airports, the fees are beginning to sound exorbitant.

Hyderabad International Airport Ltd is going to charge Rs 1,000 for international outgoing passengers and Rs 725 for domestic outgoing, while Bangalore International Airport Ltd will levy Rs 955 and Rs 675 for these, respectively. Taxes are over and above these charges.

In addition, a passenger will be charged about Rs 150 if he takes a bus to the airports and anywhere between Rs 450 and Rs 700 if he takes a taxi.

So, assuming that a mistake has indeed been made by those signing the agreement, can this be remedied in an amicable manner?

Well, it would have had there been an aviation regulatory authority in place. But unfortunately - although it has been much talked about - even the rudiments of a regulatory authority are not on the horizon. So, the dispute will continue and the authorities at the two airports will bargain and try to reach a transparent agreement with the aviation ministry.

A senior government official told Business Standard: "Someone needs to look into how the two airports are coming to these UDF numbers. Since traffic has increased, their income should go up. Their expenditure has bloated too, but without any checks and balances, we don't know how much it has gone up. Therefore, someone needs to do this exercise."

With the PPP model, efficiencies were expected to improve and so costs were meant to go down, which did not seem to be happening, the official pointed out. There is talk of delaying charging the UDF - especially on domestic passengers (GMR has announced it will charge only international passengers) - for one or two quarters.

But that too makes little sense as the airport authorities are questioning the relation of connectivity with UDF. Even if the two airports were better connected, the cost of reaching them would probably not go down, they argue.

In the case of Bangalore - with the current state of the state administration - connectivity will take more than two quarters to improve, and even when it does, the cost may or may not come down.

Even in Hyderabad, it will be a while before the journey becomes smooth. But the most important issue remains: The ease of the journey may improve but its cost is unlikely to."

:|:|:|Rediff Link.........
http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/05air.htm

At the heart of the issue is the user development fees the authorities propose to charge from the first day and which is now being questioned by the civil aviation ministry on the grounds that since connectivity is an issue with both the airports, the passengers will face a double whammy.

......................

Now, after adding the cost of reaching the airports, the fees are beginning to sound exorbitant.

Hyderabad International Airport Ltd is going to charge Rs 1,000 for international outgoing passengers and Rs 725 for domestic outgoing, while Bangalore International Airport Ltd will levy Rs 955 and Rs 675 for these, respectively. Taxes are over and above these charges.
In addition, a passenger will be charged about Rs 150 if he takes a bus to the airports and anywhere between Rs 450 and Rs 700 if he takes a taxi.

The following report states Hyderabad airport has scrapped the domestic UDF charges. Let's see what the competition will do to change BIAL's decision.

http://bangalorebuzz.blogspot.com/2008/03/bangalore-airport-faces-gmr-heat.html

Bangalore airport faces GMR heat
Tuesday, March 04, 2008 04:08 IST
DNA

Hyderabad airport developer to scrap user fee for domestic passengers

HYDERABAD/BANGALORE: The management of the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) is likely to come under pressure to follow GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd’s (GHIAL) model to spare domestic passengers from the contentious user development fee (UDF).:banana:

GHIAL on Monday decided to levy $25 (about Rs 1,000) as UDF on international passengers from the new airport at Shamshabad, which is scheduled to open from the midnight of March 15.

BIAL, which begins operations from March 30, will not follow a cross-subsidisation tariff policy. It will be charge a UDF of Rs675 on domestic passengers and Rs955 on international passengers.

BIAL chief executive officer (CEO) Albert Brunner asserted that it would not be fair to levy charges on international passengers and spare the domestic passengers when both of them would be using the same infrastructure.

“The International Air Transport Association (IATA) can question airports if they charge a fee to international passengers and nothing to domestic passengers when both are using same facilities,” reasoned Brunner.

However, despite the BIAL chief’s refusal to oblige, domestic carriers are gearing up to lobby for a waiver of the fee on the domestic sector.

“The question is: What impact such a move (charging UDF from domestic passengers), would have on business, especially on short haul routes. Both (airport and airlines) would be at a disadvantage (business-wise). We have requested both airports to take a long-term view on this,” said Deccan Aviation chief financial officer (CFO) Ramki Sundaram.

Brunner talks abt some IATA rules that they shudn't discriminate between domestic and int'l passengers when levying UDF kinda fees. So after two months, UDF WILL be charged by BIAL, atleast until a Regulatory Authority is started by the Central Govt.

HIAL took a smart decision. Everyone knows that both HIAl and BIAL will eventually start collecting UDF. UNLESS the central govt dishes out or takes a share in both by paying, say, 1000 crores to each of the company and avoids charging UDF. Mr. Grandhi indicated that HIAL will probably charge different UDF for short-haul, long-haul and int'l pax in future.

I'd say Rs. 200 for short-haul (same as what they are paying right now), Rs. 400 for long haul and Rs. 600 for int'l pax is better than the flat rates that BIAL will charge soon. Fair enough ?!?

^^ Yes Raghu I agree - another option to what u suggested (to avoid the hassles/red tape?) of what criterion is used to decide long and short haul issues I felt - a UDF of Rs. 200/- for national flights and Rs 800-Rs 1000/- for international flights(less of a pinch for high fare passengers) ...

Is there anything surrounding BIAL (nearby) that it would need displaced thresholds?

Not sure Sammy, but this diagram explains what I understood and my reactions to the plan view...
http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/6687/bialideasyb7.jpg

Looking at the terminal size that we have right now and the terminal size of DIAL in comparison it does appear that the current terminal could reach saturation point as early as this year end... perhaps at a pinch they can run overcapacity with minimal inconvenience for another year before the next expansion stage is COMPLETED and available for use...BIAL, MoD/IAF - guys please GET MOVING SWIFTLY!!!...on starting the next phase at once!

Bangalore airport public trial run tomorrow (http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/03/06/stories/2008030650690700.htm)


A special Kingfisher flight from Mumbai with invited passengers will be the first aircraft to do the full testing honours at the all-new Bengaluru International airport at Devanahalli at 10 a.m. on March 7. Sibling airline Deccan will follow it half an hour later, flying in from the HAL airport.

The first wet run or ‘public trial’ comes nearly three weeks before the airport officially opens on March 30; it is the last critical step in the operational readiness of the airport, which has to get its licence from the DGCA. The Civil Aviation Secretary, Mr Ashok Chawla, and the Director-General of Civil Aviation are expected to be at the airport on the same day. The Prime Minister is expected to inaugurate it on March 28. All systems such as security, check-in, baggage handling would be demonstrated in a culmination of nearly three months of dry, individual and integrated operations of the new airport. Three to four defence aircraft are also slated to take part in the test flights on Friday. The two flights fly back at 11.30 a.m. and 12 noon.

Airport company BIAL has been conducting the operational trials led by its Head of Start-up, Mr Werner Rohrer, from Unique Zurich airport, one of the promoters of the Bangalore airport.

Not sure Sammy, but this diagram explains what I understood and my reactions to the plan view...


Looking at the terminal size that we have right now and the terminal size of DIAL in comparison it does appear that the current terminal could reach saturation point as early as this year end... perhaps at a pinch they can run overcapacity with minimal inconvenience for another year before the next expansion stage is COMPLETED and available for use...BIAL, MoD/IAF - guys please GET MOVING SWIFTLY!!!...on starting the next phase at once!

I think all flights are supposed to land from the east side into the west ... BIAL runway will have difficulty in clearing landings in case it wants the flights to land in the east direction as the rapid exitways are not built ...

As you can see in the plan, if the planes land from the west, they'll reach the terminal quickly compared to flights landing from the east ...

From all the pics that were posted sofar, anyone want to guess-n-draw the terminal layout from the top ?!?


Also, it's too late for anyone to get excited abt the trial runs, HIAL already has stolen the show even though pics all along indicated the BIAL was ahead in construction than HIAL ... But BIAL is not there yet ... did they finish the secondary lighting ?

Why is it that most of media says "BIAL is likely to inagurated on March 28th" ??? Are they not sure or what ?

Anil Kumar M | TNN

Bangalore: Decks have been cleared for the multi-crore high-speed rail connecting BRV Grounds (MG Road) to Bengaluru International Airport.

The state has created a special purpose vehicle (SPV) —- Bangalore Airport Rail Link Ltd (BARL) — for the speedy execution of this project.

Though governor Rameshwar Thakur’s executive council gave its nod to the Rs 3,716-crore high-speed rail link, an SPV had to be created to give it legal status. This title has been placed before the Registrar of Companies (RoC) for its approval.

After studying the feasibility of the high-speed rail link to the new airport, a detailed project report was prepared and presented by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation MD E Sreedharan to the state government, which accepted it. Even though work is slated to commence in December, sources say it may begin earlier. Once the train becomes operational, passengers can reach the airport in less than 25 minutes.

The project’s blueprint specifies that a city air terminal (CAT) will be built at BRV Grounds. The track will run 34 km to the international airport, with two stops — one at Hebbal and the other at Yelahanka. Check-in and baggage facilities would be provided at CAT and the Hebbal stop, while only baggage facilities will be provided at the Yelahanka stop.

The SPV will enable the government to acquire 26.65 hectares of private land for the execution of the project. While nearly 40 hectares is needed, the government has 13.2 hectares for the project. The cost break-up includes Rs 2,677 crore only for the rail facilities, Rs 155 crore for land acquisition and Rs 300 crore for various taxes.

HIGHLIGHTS


SPV will be called Bangalore Airport Rail Link Ltd

Project cost is estimated at over Rs 3,000 crore, higher than the new international airport project cost

High-speed train expected to reach the destination in less than 25 minutes

The train will stop at Hebbal and Yelahanka

Only eco-friendly trains will operate in this link

While those fighting to keep the HAL airport open beyond March-end have reason to celebrate, there are desperate efforts to put some semblance of connectivity in place

Amit S Upadhye | TNN

Forget the high-speed rail corridor connecting the city centre to Devanahalli. That will take some time in coming. It might be possible to reach the new international airport by train in 45 minutes paying less than Rs 30. What are the authorities doing with the existing railway line along National Highway 7?

The mega projects conceived to provide connectivity to the new airport will require not less than two to three years to become operational. Planners have, therefore, suggested making use of the existing railway corridor.

“The proposed train between Chikballapur and Bangalore city will be taken up as a priority. Two trains run between the city and Chikkaballapur and these trains can be utilized if there is a demand,’’ divisional manager of Southwestern Railway, Mahesh Mangal, told TOI.

At present, a train is operational between Bangalore city and Chikballapur with a halt at Dodda Jala, situated about 4.5 km from the international airport. The railways will start an additional train between Chikballapur and Yelahanka. However, the official clarified that the existing infrastructure cannot support separate train services between the airport and the city. “Any kind of connectivity requires a frequency which is not possible with the present infrastructure. The idea can be implemented only if the infrastructure is upgraded,’’ Mangal said.

But traffic planners see it the other way. “The track between the city and Chikballapur does not handle much of the trains. At fixed intervals, there can be trains from Devanahalli to Bangalore. It requires minimal infrastructure. Moreover, about two km of railway line abuts the compound wall of Devanahalli airport,’’ explained chairman of Traffic Engineering and Safety Trainer (TEST), M N Srihari.

TRACK RECORD


Before 1980s, Bangalore and Bangarpet were connected with a narrow gauge railway track connecting Yelahanka, Devanahalli, Kolar and KGF .

In the late 80s, the track between Bangalore and Yelahanka was dismantled for gauge conversion.

Till 1995-96 a narrow gauge track between Yelahanka and Kolar existed which was upgraded in 2000.

There are two existing railway lines to reach the international airport.

One route starts from Bangalore city railway station and reaches Yelahanka going past Cantonment, Bangalore East, Byappanahalli.

The second route starts from Bangalore city and joins Yelahanka, passing through Malleswaram and Yeshwanthpur.

At the trumpet interchange that BIAL is building, the track runs along the airport wall for two km. A new track of two km is required to connect this to the airport terminal.

The Hindu: 6th March 2008 (http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/06/stories/2008030658640300.htm)

* It will showcase its fleet of 40 coaches when Prime Minister arrives

* GPS equipment on all BIAS buses for online tracking

* Real-time passenger information at all 116 bus stops en route

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will leave no stone unturned to make its round-the-clock Bangalore International Airport Special (BIAS) services a success even as March 30, the D-Day, is fast approaching.

When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives at the new airport for its inauguration on March 30, BMTC will showcase its fleet of 40 BIAS Vajra (Volvo) coaches which sport attractive designs of aircraft on them.

The corporation has decided to install Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment on all 140 BIAS vehicles for online tracking of their movement.

Panels displaying real-time passenger information (regarding arrival of buses) at all 116 wayside bus stops en route the airport will also be in place.

According to a rough estimate, 20 per cent (nearly 5,500 a day) of domestic and international passengers are expected to use BIAS services.

However, BMTC will alter the frequency and the number of coaches depending upon the ground realities.

“Even if we incur losses initially, we do not mind. Money is not an issue. It is the question of our reputation,” BMTC Managing Director Upendra Tripathy reportedly told his senior officers at a review meeting here on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended among others by Director (Security and Vigilance) P.S. Sandhu, Chief Traffic Managers (CTMs) Dastagir Sharief (Operations) and K.S. Vishwanath (Commercial), Chief Accounts Officer S. Padmanabhan, Controller of Stores Channabasappa and Chief Mechanical Engineer B. Mukkanna.

Regular monitoring

A committee headed by Mr. Sandhu and comprising the CTMs will review BIAS service on a daily basis. Mr. Tripathy directed the CTM (O) to immediately begin trial runs on all eight identified routes to the airport with GPS-fitted buses so as to ascertain the travel time during peak hours.

Of the 140 BIAS services, 40 will be Vajra (Volvo) coaches and 100 will be specially designed Suvarna coaches. While the corporation will get all the Vajra coaches by the month-end, it will get only 30 Suvarna coaches by that time. The shortage will be met by brand new Parisara Vahini coaches till all Suvarna coaches are received.

Fare

The minimum fare in Vajra service will be Rs. 80 (between Hebbal and Airport) and the maximum will be Rs. 200 (between Electronic City and Airport). On the other hand, fares in Suvarna coaches will be approximately Rs. 1.50 a km.

All these coaches are specially designed to accommodate passengers as well as their baggage.

Frequency

Hebbal, where BMTC intends to build a state-of-the-art Travel Transit Management Centre (TTMC), will act as a funnel feeding and receiving BIAS services to and from the new Airport. From Hebbal, the corporation will operate Vajra services at a frequency of 20 minutes whereas from other parts of the city, the frequency ranges from 30 minutes to 45 minutes.

Though the corporation had demanded allotment of at least 15 bays at the airport for BIAS services, Bangalore International Airport Ltd., (BIAL) has allotted only 10. This, Mr. Tripathy said, will be taken up with BIAL authorities.

Hotel service

Five-star hotels in the city will be offered dedicated Vajra coaches for ferrying their customers to and from the new airport. Three groups of the major hotels which have come forward to avail themselves of this service will be formed. Such groups will get at least five dedicated coaches each. At the airport, the Vajra coaches will sport the name of the respective hotel/ group of hotels for easy identification.

From B S Arun, DH News Service, New Delhi:

Not happy with the BIAL proposing to charge user development fee for its embarking passengers, the Centre has asked the project operator to consider imposing the fee only after it furnishes the audited project cost, like the Hyderabad airport.

Full article (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar62008/scroll2008030655860.asp?section=updatenews)

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/06airport.htm


The new Bangalore international airport, scheduled to start flight operations from March 30, will far exceed its passenger traffic forecast from the very first day.

Consequently, there is a growing demand to let the existing HAL airport remain operational even after the new one starts functioning. The government's agreement with the promoters of the new airport provides for closure of the existing airport after the new one starts.


Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which will operate the new airport, has got the passenger traffic forecast wrong. BIAL's forecast figure of 10.1 million users by 2010 has already been surpassed by HAL airport, which is handling 10.5 million passengers. The passenger traffic is expected to touch 10.8 million by the end of 2007-08.


BIAL commissioned Lufthansa Consulting (LHC) in 2005 to undertake a revised traffic study given the explosive traffic growth at Bangalore. LHC's most optimistic estimates projected 10.1 million passengers by 2010. BIAL, more realistically, estimated that passenger traffic in Bangalore would reach 11.3 million in 2015.


"We will cross this mark a few days after the new airport opens, seven years ahead of expectation. The argument, therefore, is that given that every estimate of air traffic over the past several years has proved to be wrong by a significant margin, how can we ensure that BIAL can service the real demand in the city?" says Devesh Agarwal of Bangalore Chamber of Industries and Commerce (BCIC).


The BIAL projection shows a 12.45 per cent annual average growth between 2008 and 2013 in air passenger traffic. "Our projection of 26.26 per cent has become a reality now. BIAL is underestimating growth," he said.


Agarwal said the existing HAL airport should continue operations. "It is hard to conceive shutting down a working piece of infrastructure like HAL airport and then discovering that demand outstrips supply. Little can be done at that time," he added.


The IT sector, concentrated in the southern and western parts of Bangalore, has also been emphasising the need to keep HAL airport open considering the distance between Electronics City and Whitefield (in excess of 50 kilometres) and the new airport.


A public interest litigation filed in the high court seeking continuation of HAL airport is also coming up for hearing soon.


However, BIAL authorities said the airport was equipped to handle this additional traffic too. The airport will have 54 counters on the ground and first floors for checking in, booking baggage and collecting boarding passes within 15-30 minutes of takeoffs during non-peak and peak hours.


"Due to the delay in clearance for construction, we have combined the first two phases of capacity building in the terminal to handle 12 million passengers per annum as against the eight million in the first phase. Being modular, the terminal can be expanded over the next three-four years to handle 15 million passengers per annum from 2012," BIAL CEO Alfred Brunner told the media recently.


With separate gates for arrival and departure, the new airport will operate 30 flights per hour during peak hours, which are normally in the morning for domestic flights and after midnight for international flights

http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/mar/06airport.htm


"Due to the delay in clearance for construction, we have combined the first two phases of capacity building in the terminal to handle 12 million passengers per annum as against the eight million in the first phase. Being modular, the terminal can be expanded over the next three-four years to handle 15 million passengers per annum from 2012," BIAL CEO Alfred Brunner told the media recently.





Is he actually saying the current terminal for a capicity of 12 million is a result of combining 2 phases? or does he mean the current terminal is for a capacity of 8 million but will handle the 10 million traffic from day 1? Either case sounds bad to me.

Nevertheless, he still says 15 mil by 2012, but we are opening with 10 mil and at the current 26% annual rate we will hit 25mil by 2012. How can the terminal handle 25 mil when it is built for 15 mil?

A disaster. I'm sure BIAL has studied Indian mentality of having very short memory and forget everything and get used to the hardships as the airport opens.. slowly forgetting HAL airport. Clever indeed. Over next couple of years we would have forgotten that HAL airport even existed.

so many misleading statements !!!

26% average annual growth rate is today. Over the next decade we will see the passenger growth rate accelerating even faster as the investment (domestic and FDI) rate into BLR, Chennai and Hyd zooms.

Source: Economic Times (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Transportation/Connectivity_woes_likely_to_hit_short_flights_out_of_Bangalore/articleshow/2841319.cms) article

Connectivity woes likely to hit short flights out of Bangalore
6 Mar, 2008, 0056 hrs IST,URVASHI JHA, TNN


BANGALORE: Domestic airlines may look at pruning some of their feeder routes like Kochi, Coimbatore and even Chennai from Bangalore as the Bengaluru International Airport inches closer to the launch of commercial operations on March 30, 2008. The argument is that passengers of some of these short-haul routes (30-40 minutes flying time) would opt for road or rail, given the connectivity problems to the new airport.

While some airlines are adopting a wait and watch policy, having submitted their summer schedules, others like SpiceJet do not plan to add any new southern destination to their operations from Bangalore in the near future. “We are not planning to add any new southern destination to our operations from Bangalore. Any distance within 500 km range (by road) from Bangalore would require rethinking. Our daily flights to Kochi would also be reviewed,” said SpiceJet CEO Siddhanta Sharma.

At present, SpiceJet operates daily flights to Kochi and Hyderabad from Bangalore. Earlier, the airline had also withdrawn operations to Chennai from the existing HAL airport in Bangalore. The commuting time of at least three hours from around the CBD areas of the city to the new airport, coupled with a cost of Rs 600 in reaching the new facility, would make road or rail travel popular options.

The airport in Devanahalli is about 35 km from the CBD. Flight delays of an hour may actually mean that a five-hour road trip or seven-hour train journey is faster and convenient.

User development fee of Rs 675 (plus taxes) for the domestic passengers could also act as a deterrent. “We are not going to operate flights on uneconomic routes. We would rather fly on profitable routes. If the routes are not supported by passengers then they will be withdrawn. And in this case, the airport will also end up losing revenues,” said Garry Kingshott, chief executive of JetLite. JetLite operates flights to Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, and Kochi from Bangalore. Its full service parent carrier Jet Airways also connects these destinations.

The heat could come on Deccan as well. Deccan Aviation founder Captain Gopinath said: “If people don’t fly Bangalore-Chennai, we will not be able to serve that route. We will wait and watch.” Deccan Aviation announced it will land its first test flight at the Bengaluru International Airport on March 7. The event marks the start of a series of trial runs, part of the Airport Readiness Programme.

I think people are making a big deal of the connectivity and short-flight issue. Most people in south BLR might consider taking land transport to chennai.

But people in the north BLR, a bit nearer to the new airport, might consider taking a flight to chennai instead (if they can afford it). In fact BIAL could open up new market segments in the northern regions for short-haul flights.

SPV formed for rail link to B`lore intl airport

http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?tab=r&autono=316018&subLeft=1&leftnm=3

After two months of delay, the Karnataka government has formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to provide rail link to the new Bangalore International Airport, located 26 kilometres from the city near Devanahalli.

The SPV — Bangalore Airport Rail Link Ltd (BARL) — will design and implement a dedicated high speed rail network between the city centre (BRV Grounds on M G Road) to the new international airport, covering a distance of 34 kilometres. The BARL has estimated the project to cost Rs 3,716 crore.

According to government sources, the BARL will shortly float global tenders to invite participation from infrastructure majors. As per the route identified by the government, a fresh track will be laid along the National Highway 7 (Bangalore-Hyderabad), which connects the city to the new international airport.

The new railway track will start from BRV Grounds and pass through Police Thimmaiah Circle, Raj Bhavan Road-Sankey Road, Windsor Manor junction, Mehkri Circle-Hebbal flyover.

This stretch of the track will be elevated. From the Hebbal flyover, the track will be laid at the ground level along the NH 7. The travel time is estimated to be 25 minutes with stops at Hebbal and Yelahanka.

The high speed train will have six coaches. The frequency of each train will be 10 minutes. The train fare has been fixed at Rs 200 per person from BRV Grounds to the new international airport.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which has been appointed the consultants, will start the preliminary work with the project expected to be completed by January 2011.

The stake holders in BARL will include the state government, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), Greater Bangalore City Corporation and Bangalore Development Authority.

BIAL CEO Albert Brunner had said his company would contribute 10 per cent of the equity in the BARL. The government needs to acquire 29 acres of private land for the project. The cost of land acquisition is estimated to be around Rs 150 crore.

Though the new airport is set to become operational from March 30, connectivity to the airport has been a major problem.

Though the BIAL, which will operate the new airport, had suggested to the government three years ago to take up road and rail connectivity, successive state governments failed to attach any importance to the plea.

The Hindu: 7th March 2008 (http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/07/stories/2008030754120500.htm)

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Union Government on Thursday submitted to the Karnataka High Court that all domestic and international flights to and from Bangalore would operate from the new international airport at Devanahalli from March 30, and all commercial civil aviation operations would cease at HAL Airport from that date. The Union made these submissions in its preliminary statement of objections in response to four public interest litigations petitions questioning the closure of the HAL Airport, lack of connectivity from Bangalore to the new airport at Devanahalli and the high user-fee agreement. It said the concessional agreement signed between it and Bangalore International Airport Limited, envisaged the closure of the HAL airport once BIAL became operational.

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Source : TOI ePaper

Bangalore: It’s official. The Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) is all set for take-off. Amidst heated debate and public interest litigation, the Rs 2,500-crore greenfield airport will conduct its first test flight on Friday as reported by TOI.

Kingfisher Airlines and Deccan flights will touch down at 10 am and 10.30 am, respectively. Both airlines have deployed an Airbus 320, which has a seating capacity of approximately 180 passengers. It will also carry media persons and company officials.

While Kingfisher Airlines is flying in a media delegation from Mumbai, Deccan will fly in a delegation from HAL airport. The flight from HAL will be a 30-minute journey.

While journalists will be among the first to land at the airport, airline officials will carry check-in and hand baggage to test the airport’s facilities. A press briefing will be held by BIAL, Kingfisher Airlines and Deccan officials. BIAL has been conducting mock trials to check the security and other on-ground processes at the airport.

^^^^

Awesome news!!!

BIAL in a hurry; norm given go-by (http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Mar72008/scroll2008030755988.asp?section=updatenews)

In a hurry to get the Bengaluru International Airport fully operationalised by March 29, is the BIAL rushing through the extremely critical Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility?

The calibration flight to check the ATC operations is likely to take off only on March 10, which means the airport will be fully operational even before the ATC’s mandatory 1,000-hour hot-standby mode period is completed.

For the calibration trials, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is scheduled to fly its own aircraft equipped to measure a slew of technical parameters related to the Communication, Navigation, Surveillance -- Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) equipment, all attached to the ATC.

After the calibration flight, the equipment should be placed in hot-standby mode for a thousand hours. Only on completion of this period (about 42 days) is the CNS-ATM fully operationalised. “This is the norm worldwide,” a highly placed airport official told Deccan Herald.

The March 29 deadline leaves BIAL just 19 days to ensure that the ATC is capable of withstanding all operational challenges. The 42-day hot-standby mode period would mean the ATC facility could be completely ready for the highly critical job on all counts, only after April 21.

“The hot-standby mode period is used by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) personnel manning the facility to get acquainted with all the equipment. This stabilisation period is extremely crucial. Even if they have the expertise in such procedures, the personnel should be fully sure. In air traffic, if someone fumbles, it will be disastrous,” explained another aviation official. “Various parameters including navigational aids, and equipment reliability will be tested during the calibration flight. If required, the parameters will be readjusted and another calibration flight flown. Once this process is completed, the entire ATC equipment will be put on hot-standby mode,” explained the official. When contacted by Deccan Herald, the regional director of AAI declined to comment.

HAL help sought

Meanwhile, BIAL and the AAI are learnt to have orally sought the support of HAL in operationalising the ATC facility. However, the State-owned aviation major reportedly conveyed its inability to do so. “How can the Devanahalli airport landings and take-offs be monitored from the HAL airport. If anything goes wrong, then they might blame HAL for that. That cannot happen,” a top official of the HAL airport told Deccan Herald.

USER FEE THROUGH TICKETS

How will the Bengaluru International Airport Limited levy user development fee from departing domestic and international passengers? The airlines will levy UDF through passenger tickets and reimburse the amount to
BIAL later.

BIAL defends closure

The BIAL strongly defended the move to close down the HAL airport for commercial aircraft operations after March 30, 2008, before the Karnataka High Court on Thursday.

USER DEVELOPMENT FEES ROW
Surajeet Das Gupta / New Delhi March 7, 2008

Private airports at Bangalore, Hyderabad have proposed heavy user development fees. (http://www.business-standard.com/common/news_article.php?autono=316074&leftnm=3&subLeft=0&chkFlg=)

Leading airports in the world impose much lower user development fees (UDF) on passengers departing from their premises than what the private developers that are building or modernising airports in India propose to charge.

UDF, also called airport improvement fees or departure tax in other countries, is charged by developers to partly recoup the heavy investments that modernisation entails.

It is common in many other airports that are being modernised including New Zealand’s Auckland airport and Ireland’s Dublin airport. Almost all Canadian and Brazilian airports impose fees on passengers to fund modernisation.

In India, controversies have arisen recently as the new airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore — being developed by public-private consortia — propose to charge a steep UDF of around Rs 750 from each domestic passenger and Rs 950 to Rs 1,000 from each international passenger.

Low-cost carriers have been especially vocal against this levy saying it would raise ticket prices by a third to a half.

The new Hyderabad airport starts commercial operations next week while the one in Bangalore will be operational at the end of March.

In comparison, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport, which handles over 50 million passengers a year, charges much less (see table). This is despite the fact that it doubled domestic airport charges and more than tripled international levies last year.

Indian airport developers defend charging higher rates on the ground that their capital costs are higher and the passenger base is much lower than international airports.

“Our rates might be a little higher because of the high capital cost we have incurred in the initial years. The UDF is high in the first year but will go down and stabilise after that,” said a senior executive of Hyderabad-based GMR group, which is modernising Delhi airport.

“Also, we have started operations with a much lower passenger base (Hyderabad gets only seven million passengers compared with Suvarnabhumi’s 30 million), so the cost is spread across more passengers,” he added.

Developers also point out that unlike many other airports like Norwich or Dublin, Hyderabad and Bangalore are greenfield projects and do not have a revenue base from day one.

Nevertheless, several carriers like Jet Airways and Air Deccan have hinted that they will reduce the number of some short-haul flights from these locations as they may not be viable due to the steep UDF.

Responding to the pressure, GMR has already announced it will not impose any UDF on domestic travellers for the time being.

The civil aviation ministry has requested Bangalore to do the same and suggested that the developers negotiate and come to a more rational UDF, at least for the domestic passengers.

Airports need competition (http://www.livemint.com/2008/03/06233923/Airports-need-competition.html)
(Jayachandran/Mint)

Shutting down the existing airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad when the new ones start operations now makes no sense to the parliamentary standing committee, which has advised the government to renegotiate with the private operators. It has also opposed user development fees proposed by the two operators. In part, both decisions appear driven by the poor access to the new airports and the recent rapid growth in air travel.

The panel’s suggestions bear testimony to the many flaws in the concession agreements concerned and, in general, to the way public-private partnership (PPP) projects are dealt with in the country. Not just flaws in agreements signed by the states, the Centre’s shortcomings are equally glaring, as in the controversy over revenue sharing from Delhi airport. The big question is why should the government fix terms without fully evaluating their implications? These can be considerable, both the uncertainty that private investors face after the government finds flaws in the deal, and the costs borne by the public due to bad agreements. Enron redux?

The problems won’t end as long as the approach is back to front. Had the long-overdue airport economic regulator been in place, it could have fostered healthy competition among airports and protected user interest while fixing tariffs and service charge—evaluating, for example, whether passengers need to pay both a passenger service fee and a user development fee.

As for air traffic, even without hindsight, it was evident that it would rise rapidly, given the growth of low-cost aviation. It is interesting that the draft agreement with Bangalore International Airport Ltd (Bial) approved by the previous (NDA) government said the government would “endeavour” closure of the existing airport. After Bial objected, the UPA government signed a tightened version in mid-2004 just after it came to power. The hurry to stake claim to progress in infrastructure may have led to a missed opportunity to re-evaluate such a closure, and to expedite establishment of the regulator.
Clearly, traffic projections, on roads or airports, can go very wrong, both in understating or overstating growth. Rapidly growing countries such as ours need to design concession terms for this. And tariffs are best left to the procedural transparency of an independent regulator. Any decision to reduce competition, and the supply of infrastructure services, by closing airports or pledging not to construct new roads is a bad idea. Revisiting the model concession agreements for PPP is a good idea.

The controversy may yet have a silver lining. Parliament may feel the need to push through the airport regulator Bill!

HIAL looks gr8 in the night wonder how this airport looks and interior is 100000000000% better than bangalore airport!
lets c how it goes on??!!!

I was watching news and i was shocked 2 c that no 1 is really happy with the airport!
wonder y dont people finish their work like making roads and then do d airport
and y did the people not object when they had started the construction??
PEOLPE KNOW ONLY 2 BLAME!!! noting else

I was watching news and i was shocked 2 c that no 1 is really happy with the airport!
wonder y dont people finish their work like making roads and then do d airport
and y did the people not object when they had started the construction??
PEOLPE KNOW ONLY 2 BLAME!!! noting else

Poeple are not happy with the connectivity first. so naturaly they dont like to travel to new airport. then add bangalore traffic chaos to it. it makes a perfect mess.

Look at the central/state govt....they are mute spectators. Being 13% stake holders in BIAL each...it is their responsibility to provide connectivity. they have failed.....failed miserably. this is a joke. they enter into a deal....in 2004 n airport is ready in due time....road/rail connectivity is still in planning stage !!! Parlimentary standing committee finds fault in shuting existing airports as per the deal without looking actual problems...it should have indicted central/state govt for the lack of planning connectivity. this is a state sponsered conspiracy.

In all probability BIAL with out ATC Eqiupment installed.....long travel time to airport......pressure in retaing HAL airport.....will end in something big disaster.
BIAL airport fate will be out in one month of it's operation.

One suggestion which i read in TOI paper....is to make HAL commercial and let BIAL to take control of it. then run HAL airport for domestic and BIAL for international flights till rail/road connectivity improves. sounds positive ??? :cheers:

News report video of TIMES NOW on BIAL today.

http://broadband.indiatimes.com/videoshow/2844121.cms

I was watching news and i was shocked 2 c that no 1 is really happy with the airport!
wonder y dont people finish their work like making roads and then do d airport
and y did the people not object when they had started the construction??
PEOLPE KNOW ONLY 2 BLAME!!! noting else

There will always be resistance to change. And when you are talking of change this big then of course a lot more people needs to be satisfied. As you already know one cannot make all the people happy at any given time.

Regarding connectivity the people who are cribbing the most are from south Bangalore, now ask someone living in the North of Bangalore like Peenya how long it takes them to reach the current airport? it will be the same story. Now with the airport in the north, people living in the northern parts do not have to leave for a flight real early. If the airport were to be developed in the south someplace like Kanakpura Rd, you could have had the same reaction. Where would they have build the airport on MG Road?

As for the road connectivity, have these reported been on the NH7 recently. There are a couple of potential bottlenecks but its a 6 lane high way for god sake, how much traffic will there be? And with the cost of taxis being more I bet the whole neighborhood will not be coming to see people off anymore.

Poeple are not happy with the connectivity first. so naturaly they dont like to travel to new airport. then add bangalore traffic chaos to it. it makes a perfect mess.

Look at the central/state govt....they are mute spectators. Being 13% stake holders in BIAL each...it is their responsibility to provide connectivity. they have failed.....failed miserably. this is a joke. they enter into a deal....in 2004 n airport is ready in due time....road/rail connectivity is still in planning stage !!! Parlimentary standing committee finds fault in shuting existing airports as per the deal without looking actual problems...it should have indicted central/state govt for the lack of planning connectivity. this is a state sponsered conspiracy.

In all probability BIAL with out ATC Eqiupment installed.....long travel time to airport......pressure in retaing HAL airport.....will end in something big disaster.
BIAL airport fate will be out in one month of it's operation.

One suggestion which i read in TOI paper....is to make HAL commercial and let BIAL to take control of it. then run HAL airport for domestic and BIAL for international flights till rail/road connectivity improves. sounds positive ??? :cheers:

Hehe...well said... the problem is that State govt babus didn't expect that the project will be complete in time, they thought it will be like any other project dragged on for years and they will take their own sweet time to do the connectivity issue.... but now they are in a situation which they cannot get out of blamed..

as below

Source: ThaiIndian-Mar7 '08 (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/new-bangalore-airport-conducts-final-flight-trials_10025094.html)

Bangalore, March 7 (IANS): Final flight trials were conducted Friday at the new international airport here that begins commercial operations March 30. Kingfisher Airlines, Air Deccan and Indian Air Force (IAF) participated in the trials to test the operational readiness of the greenfield airport at Devanahalli, around 37 km from the city.

The first flight to land on schedule at 10 a.m. was Kingfisher’s Airbus from Mumbai with guests and media personnel onboard.

An IAF service aircraft and Deccan’s Airbus followed, which flew from the city airport on a 15-minute flight.

“It is an overwhelming moment for us. We have effectively demonstrated our readiness to handle a real-life airport situation for both domestic and international flights,” Bangalore International Airport Ltd CEO Albert Brunner told reporters in the domestic terminal of the swanky airport.

Deccan’s flight was delayed at the city airport by over 45 minutes due to congestion.

To test preparedness of operational facilities, including ground support in real-time for international and domestic arrivals, Kingfisher parked its Airbus near the terminal for disembarking through the boarding bridge, while the Deccan flight landed in the remote parking bay.
The IAF aircraft participated in the exercise to test the 4,000-ft runaway and test the integrated airspace management system with the adjacent air force base at Yelahanka.

The trials will continue till March 28, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the Rs.25-billion airport.

“The airport consortium (BIAL), Karnataka governor Rameshwar Thakur and civil aviation minister Praful Patel have invited the prime minister to unveil the new airport. We assume Singh will certainly come for the inaugural,” Brunner said.

Air India is scheduled to operate the first flight from the new airport in the wee hours of March 30 to Singapore, followed by other international and domestic airlines.

“As per the concession agreement, HAL airport will shut down from midnight of March 29. Aircraft scheduled to take-off after midnight will be landing at the new airport on arrival after 9-10 p.m.,” Brunner said.

Located on the east of Bangalore-Hyderabad national highway (NH7), the new airport will have parking place for about 2,000 cars, various auxiliary buildings, a fuel farm, rescue and fire fighting facilities, ground support equipment, airline support facilities, two major cargo warehouses and flight kitchens.

Built on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, the airport will be operated by the consortium of Unique Zurich Airport, Siemens Projects Ventures and Larson and Toubro.

The state government and Airport Authority of India (AAI) are the two other partners.

Guys,
Any new pics or videos of the trial landings yet?
Hopefully we'll see more of the Airport in those pics, BIAL Authorities don't reveal much on the updates.

Ok, Let me be the first to post the reply :) (to myself)

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/60679/first-flights-land-new-bangalore-airport-ready.html

Thanks Desidude.

The video thumbnail shows the KF A320 with the welcome water jet salute but the video seemed to onlt have a file shot fo the interiors - hope to soon see the actual flights arriving on the tarmac...But none the less thanks for the upload Desidude.

Final trial smooth as silk at Bangalore International Airport (http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=70095)

By Team Mangalorean - Bangalore

Bangalore, March 7, 2008: Six aircrafts today performed the trial run at the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli which is in fact is the last trial run before the airport opens for commercial operations on midnight of 29 and first few moments of 30 March 2008.

The first commercial aircraft to land in the airport was the Kingfisher Airbus 320 with a load of media persons, company executives and other officials who arrived from Mumbai at 9.50am ten minutes earlier to the schedule. This aircraft was given a shower of water jets by the Panthers (Austrian make fire engines) as a mark of welcome.

Soon after initial drama the Air Deccan - an Airbus 320 carrying the Bangalore Media and press arrived and landed as smoothly as its predecessor. When the first flight arrived everything in the airport was on the test run, right from the landing spot, the run way the taxiway the aerobridges, the baggage clearance, the escalators, the staff, cafetaria and the airline staff.

The Deccan airways carried its Chief Operating Officer Ramki Sundaram and media persons, landed at 11.10 am. This airliner used the remote parking bay and tested the domestic arrival process.

Followed by the Air Deccan a private jet owned by Larsen and Toubro, a partner of the BIAL, was the third flight to land at around 10:15 a.m. L&Ts ECC Division head K.V. Rangaswamy along with some of his colleagues arrived in the jet from Mumbai. The L&T aircraft was the first to depart towards Chennai.

Three aircrafts belonging to Indian Air Force (IAF) landed one after another at the new airport completing the formality of the final flight trials at the new airport. The first IAF aircraft from Yelahanka airbase landed at 10:45 am, the second at 11 am and the last at 11.20 am

Chief Executive Officer of the BIAL airport Albert Brunner and his team at the BIAL was beaming with the air of success, but told the presspersons that there was much more work to be completed particularly the Trumpet Fly over connecting the Airport with the NH7 (Hyderabad-Bangalore) which improves the connectivity to the airport.

New partners selected

BIAL has made substantial efforts to appoint partners and concessionaires to make the new airport experience complete. Some of the recent partners selected include Deepika Govind and Ethos Watches, both operating Mono Brand Stores in the International Departure area. Deepika, a prominent Indian designer, based in Bangalore, will showcase her exclusive collections in this outlet. Ethos, among the largest retailers of time wear in India, will sport watches and writing instruments from all around the world in their outlet. This will be a first at any Indian airport.

Carbon Accessories has been chosen as the Mono Brand Operator in the Domestic Departure area. Carbon will showcase the latest designs and creations across their categories in this outlet. A dedicated outlet LaModa will feature fashion apparel and accessories including Tommy Hilfiger. Odyssey will retail books, music, gifts, toys and flowers in the arrival hall and on the curb side. Odyssey, a subsidiary of Deccan Chronicle Holdings, is among the fastest growing leisure retailer chains in India. Earlier selected concessionaires include Shoppers Stop and Nuance.

On the curb side, a variety of cuisines will be available for passengers and visitors to the airport. Three food & beverage operators that have been chosen for Indian cuisine are Radhakrishna Hospitality Services (RKHS), for South Indian delicacies, KaatiZone and Gangotree, for North Indian food. Subway and Baskin Robbins will also open outlets at the Airport. Earlier selected concessionaires include HMS Host and Caf Coffee Day.

Thomas Cook and TT Forex have been selected for foreign exchange services.
Transportation Services

Bus Service

BMTC has procured forty high quality, air-conditioned Volvo buses for dedicated Shuttle Services between the Airport and seven destinations across the City. A trip to MG Road is likely to cost Rs. 130 (proposed). In addition, BMTC has procured 116 Ashok Leyland Non AC buses to connect the airport to the City; the cost per trip is likely to cost Rs. 65 (proposed). BIAL will provide free of cost professional bus bays.

Taxi service

BIAL is committed to providing reliable, affordable and safe taxi facilities at the airport. BIAL has selected (by open tender) MERU & EASYCAB to provide basic taxi services. The taxi operators will have basic AC box cars, all equipped with GPS and GPRS to track the journey for safety and transparency. Both operators have professional call centres. Over 900 taxis will be available when the airport begins operations. This is slated to grow gradually, providing employment opportunities to at least 1800 families.

Pre and post paid taxi facilities will be available on meter charges @ Rs.15/- per km (subject to Govt regulation). BIAL has offered the incumbent taxi operator, KSTDC, 100 taxi licences as subcontractor to above operators, subject to fulfilling the same quality and service levels as defined between BIAL and those operators.

Autorikshaws

BIAL has allocated parking bay for autorikshaws at the Trumpet Flyover and will provide a regular shuttle service from the airport to that location at the auto tariff rate.

Parking Facilities

In addition to 700 car parks for staff, BIAL's car park can accommodate 2000 cars. This is fully automated with an efficient and transparent management system, provided by SKIDATA, a leading global provider of car park systems at airports. The car parking system will be managed by Central Parking Solutions, Indias largest car park operator. A 10-minute free parking will be given to all drop off passengers. BIAL will also provide two wheeler parking, valet parking, dedicated zone for tour operator buses and premium areas to pick up hotel guests. Car parking fees include Rs.50/- for the four hours and Rs.40/- for two hours.

Limousine and Car Rental Facilities

BIAL has selected Hertz and Akbar Travels as its strategic partner in Limousine and Car Rental operations for premium cars. For the first time at Indian Airports, cars can also be rented professionally for self drive. The cars for Limousine and Car Rental are in a dedicated premium zone close to the Terminal Building.

User Development Fee

BIAL will charge a User Development Fee to provide and maintain higher infrastructure quality and safety. To ease transition, BIAL will charge a reduced UDF for the first two months, until May 31, 2008. This will be at a fee of Rs 240 plus taxes for domestic passengers and Rs 520 plus taxes for international passengers. Thereafter, the fee will be as per the concession agreement i.e. Rs 675 plus taxes per departing passenger and Rs 955 plus taxes per departing passenger.

I still remember Feb 2007 when It took me 2 hours to travel the 22Kms from Sanjaynagar, where I live, to HAL airport and missed my flight to London. I cant believe the current travel can be any worse. The new airport is the same distance and on a six lane divided highway with just 1 major intersection at Yelahanka.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, March 07, 2008 9:13:49 PM (IST) Bangalore: No Rethink on Closing HAL Airport - Govt (http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=44335&n_tit=Bangalore%3A+No+Rethink+on+Closing+HAL+Airport+-+Govt)

Hemanth Kumar/ENS

Bangalore, Mar 7: The onging campaign to retain HAL airport for domestic flight services seems to have had no impact on the State Government as it has rejected any possibilities of a rethink on implementing the concession agreement it has entered into with Bangalore International Airport Limited(BIAL).]

“There is no question of violating the agreement as the consequences will be too serious,” Principal Secretary for the Department of Infrastructure Development, V P Baligar made it clear .

“There is too much at stake. Any violation of the agreement will damage India's stature as a responsible country respecting international agreements. It will also deliver a big blow for private investment proposals in future.

The price in monetary terms too will be too huge, running into thousands of crores of rupees. It is highly unlikely that the Union Government will accept the suggestion to violate the agreement,” Baligar said.

The argument over poor connectivity has invited a counter from the man who has been striving to improve all the roads leading to Devanahalli.

“Does the present HAL airport have seamless connectivity from all parts of Bangalore?”

Resistance was expected whenever a change was effected. Any change would cause some inconvenience to some people.

Those who are worried about the distance of Devanahalli airport should also accept the fact that it would be much more convenient for people of northern and western parts of the city like Yelahanka, Hebbal, Sanjaynagar, Ganganagar, Rajmahal Vilas, Sadashivanagar and Malleshwaram.

With Infra-structure Development department developing air connectivity to tier two cities like Hubli, Mysore, Hassan, Gulbarga and Shimoga, Baligar is also concerned about the inconvenience the international passengers would face if separate airports were operated for domestic and international flights.

“It will be ridiculous to make them travel all the way from HAL to Devanahalli to catch international flights,” he says.

KSTDC taxi drivers protest

Members of the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation( KSTDC) Taxi Drivers' Association staged a protest in front of the Corporate Office, at Bangalore International Airport Limited(BIAL).

More than 700 taxi drivers shouted slogans against the authorities. The protestors alleged that BIAL had shortlisted only 100 taxis from the Association and left out the rest, leaving them unemployed.

Members of Karnataka Kaigarika, Vanijyodhama and the Kannada Sanghagala Okkuta held a discussion with the BIAL authorities on the occasion and demanded employment for all the KSTDC taxi drivers.

They sought a final decision in this regard within two days, failing which they threatened to stage a state-wide indefinite strike.

been watching the BIAL story on a number of channels. The main theme is this - people are very happy with the world class new airport, but they're really apprehensive about the long drive!

Get a load of this now.......The Airport looks set & ready to me.

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/60709/bottlenecks-fail-to-stop-bangalores-new-airport.html

Bangalore Airport looks kool. No stopping Indian Airports now.....people need to show some patience regarding the connectivity and be happy now that a world class Airport is ready (Everthing else will follow momentarily).

Uploaded some of the videos posted here by Desidude -

EqPF5spXmzE


9Lhg4RKjxYM

The interiors look great. Subtle work still has to be done inside and outside the terminal like on the parking lot and baggage claim area. The trumpet flyover on NH7 has a double carriageway which looks like it'll be 6 laned. I am glad that the L&T folks designed the obligatory span long enough so that NH7 can easily be expanded into a 6+6 (or more?) laned highway/expressway when the need arises.

Would anyone know how long the unpaved road is @54sec in the 2nd video? I guessing it's the initial part of the airport road (http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3216/feb25fthvn6.jpg).

^^^

Cool Videos.

Thanks for Sharing IU!

Here are some pics of the BIAL trials held on 7th Mar 2008.
(Source: TOI-8th March'08)

1. First ever historic landing at the new Bangalore International Airport
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2135/2317192857_7ed1820438_o.jpg

2. Passengers taking part in the flight trials
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2317192895_4ff9bf1bc1_o.jpg

The following are from Deccan Herald-8th Mar 2008
3. Deccan and Kingfisher during trials
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2179/2317192967_7d49f58d14_o.jpg

4. The line of 53 check in counters
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2117/2318000560_4a75d99b56_o.jpg

Now from Hindu Business Line (8th Mar 08)
5. Completed view of the airside (sorry abt the small pic!)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2198/2318032292_834567ee74_o.jpg

More on the BIAL-IAF-MoD standoff: (source:Financial Express-7th Mar 08 (http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Flying-high--B-lore-skies-set-for-record-air-traffic/281642/))

Bangalore, Mar 7 With Bengaluru international airport, which will begin operations on March 29, the skies of Bangalore would witness a record flight movement of 700 every day.

The daily air movement comprise about 400 from the new greenfield Bengaluru international aiport at Devanahalli and 300 from the Yelehanka Air Force station situated about 22 km north of Bangalore, according to projections made by the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL).

“Bangalore will be one of the busiest regions as far as air traffic is concerned. The Devenahalli airport will have a daily air movement of 400 to 450 flights while Yelehanka Air Force daily operates about 300 air movement of Avero, Dornier and AN 32. We expect that the daily air movements will increase to around 1,000 within a year,” senior officials of BIAL and Air Force told FE.

The officials were speaking to this correspondent after the maiden test flight of the Kingfisher Airlines at the Devenahalli international airport.

BIAL and Air Force officials, who preferred not to be quoted said that both organisations have been working hand-in-hand and it would continue to do so in future also. “We will co-exist. Our engineers and BIAL engineers are sharing information on regular basis so also staff of the air traffic control,” said an Air Force official.

On the other hand, BIAL official said that Air Force officials have been quite helpful for the development of Devenahalli aiprport from zero level. He hoped that Air Force would also support the BIAL's second runway and other expansions in the second phase which would be completed in next three years.

Meanwhile, BIAL chief executive officer Albert Brunner said that it has so far conducted basic, advanced, integrated and fall back with emergency landing tests at the Devenahalli airport.

He informed that the commercial airport would begin from the midnight of March 29.

—Travel for this story was sponsored by the Kingfisher Airlines

they have put the design of theBIAL in bangalore mirror!!!! it looks gr8
i wish they have their site thert r9 gates and they have ;put interior design picture(layout) in the paper!!!!!!

daym Jammy

Nice pictures man...

Was eager to see the pictures of the airport!!!
Thanks