Karnataka - Bangalore

BIAL blames AAI for delay at new airport

Bangalore: The CEO of the Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), Albert Brunner, said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is responsible for the delayed installation of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility at Devanahalli.

In response to questions posed by The Hindu, he said, “It is the responsibility of our partner, the AAI, to select, purchase and install the equipment.”

Unlike in Hyderabad, where the ATC was already being handled by the AAI, in Bangalore, the services were being provided by the HAL, Mr. Brunner pointed out.

He said the ATC controllers, employed by the AAI at Devanahalli, “will need to have enough time for training to get familiarised with the new conditions”.

In response to a query about whether the BIAL considered operating out of HAL as a limited-period measure, Mr. Brunner said, the decision to stick to operating from Devanahalli was taken “after having considered all options”.

In response to apprehensions that the new terminal may not have adequate capacity, especially in comparison to the new airport at Hyderabad, he said the terminal “can handle a peak hour demand of approximately 2,733 passengers”. He said, “We can easily handle an annual traffic volume of approximately 12 million passengers.”

Mr. Brunner said the master plan for the new airport had been developed “to fulfil the need for an operationally efficient and passenger-friendly airport for Bangalore”.

He said, the modular structure of the building is meant to accommodate the growing number of passengers expected in Bangalore.” The capacity can be “extended in various, easy steps,” he said. He said the airport’s “simple and repetitive structure with generous span allows for the airport functions and commercial areas to be laid out efficiently and flexibly.”

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