So that was actually my only visit to the new airport. We had climbed up the ATC tower with permissions and gotten a great view of the area around. I still remember thinking then that the airport didn’t seem as big as it should be!

This weekend, for the first time, I had a flight to catch from there and was excited that I was finally getting to visit. It is really far and that I guess goes beyond saying. But I think that it’s probably the only road in Bangalore right now that is actually relatively smooth. While the terminal is rather big and swanky compared to the earlier one, you still have a feeling that it’s small. For an international airport, at least. But loads of check in counters, self check-in, helpful staff and all kinds of stores to browse around – makes it closer to an international experience.

Then I flew to Hyderabad into their new(ish) airport and I immediately changed loyalties. It definitely scored over ours in terms of size, user friendliness and sheer glam value!  They look slightly similar too, but Bangalore looks much more box-like in comparison. The one similarity was that both the airports are around 40-50 kms away from the main city.

But for now, this will do! The cab ride cost me Rs 700 as opposed a 150 Rs bus ride. I think the Vayu Vajra ac buses make so much sense, except if it’s late night. They’re comfortable and cost-effective and less than what a cab would cost to take me to the old airport. The one way trip on the way cost us Rs 150 each.

Now I hear they’re planning the second terminal and another runway. That might take a few more years though, I’m sure.

The report highlights issues and concerns in and around HAL airport at Bangalore and Begumpet in Hyderabad, here are some important observations / highlights of this report…

• Charging of ADF or UDF for financing of the airport is not advisable in the context of policy objective of making the air travel more affordable. The committee has recommended that the UDF imposed on passengers may be withdrawn immediately and no more UDF may be imposed on passengers in any airport.
• Closures of existing airports had caused a revenue loss of Rs 610 crore in 2007-08 for the Airports Authority of India and hundreds of crore spent on developing this airports were lying unutilised because of closure of this infrastructure although these were used for VIP flights, general aviation and helicopter taxi services.
• These airports may be used for short haul flights as is the practice existing in major cities of the world which had more than one airport.
• Committee was informed that the Notice Inviting Tender did not have any mention about the closure of HAL airport at Bangalore but was brought in at the later stage of concessionary agreement. As regarding the violation of the norm that no new airport should come up within 150 km of existing airport and the permitting the Greenfield airports in the two southern cities seemed to violate the policy of the Government.
• Both Greenfield airports were far away from the cities compelled the passengers to use other means of transport such as road and trains for short distance destinations. UDF charges have made the travel from these airports costlier both in terms of time and money.
• Committee had found that the equity contributions of these two Greenfield airports were Rs 240 crore in Bangalore and Rs 330 crore in Hyderabad and the land was given at a concessionary rate. Rest of the finance had come from Government agencies by way of debt from financial institutions. If such resources were to be given to AAI itself, they could have easily developed the infrastructure
• The panel had observed that the Bangalore and Hyderabad airports were making the passengers pay ”exorbitant prices’ for the food items in the airports, while those waiting outside had not access to affordable canteen facilities, toilets and bathrooms. excessive commercialisation had taken a toll of the passenger amenities

Read the full coverage here and here

In his list are a few reasons why including the fact that it’s not up to international standards and the facilities for customers are not good enough. Of course, the fact that the airport was not built under his government might just be another reason.

But does he have plans to do anything to make it better is what he didn’t say much about.

I have not travelled to the new airport as yet. But I know the travel times have been anything between 1-3 hours for people depending on where they live, time of day and the state of the roads.

The other slightly alarming news I came across the other day is the number of deaths on the road to the new airport. Since it’s possibly the only remaining good stretch of road, vehicles speed up way out of the limits mowing down animals and pedestrians on the path. Maybe they need to install some kind of speed monitors on this stretch to stop this loss of lives.

Though we wrote a lot about the airport when it was being constructed, there hasn’t been much about the “post-opening” experiences.

Anyone with interesting experiences to share on their travels (to) and travails (of) the new airport?

First facts, yes the Bangalore International Airport is far from the city. This fact is so drilled into all of us by now that I suppose we are so mentally tuned to a long travel & starting off well in advance. Once the mental tuning is done the ride becomes that much more bearable. Largely the road from the Hebbal flyover is wide & good so a good car should be able to travel 80-100 km/hr. It took us about an hour to get to the Airport from Commercial Street that Saturday evening.

I really don’t know what a layman should expect from an Airport or from a new Airport for that matter. And especially for someone like me who doesn’t travel around by flights then it is once again of very little significance. But all the hype of the new Airport mostly for the wrong reasons got me curious & I wanted to be there & check it out functioning. Luckily, Brother was off to the US so we went there to see him off.

Only the passengers are allowed entry in to the terminal building while those who travel with the passengers to see them off basically have to hang outside the terminal building. Entry inside is allowed only in the Arrival section. That said the facilities for people who go all the way there to see off someone are not great at all.  The Terminal building is all glass & completely see-through type. So the only activity for most people who go there to see someone off is to follow the progress being made by their traveler in the check in queue. Apart from doing that we looked around for two things. One, some place where we could sit & two, for the toilet. Both were not to be seen. When we enquired with some uniformed facility management chaps their answer was, ‘there is no toilet outside’. That definitely had to be wrong. How could BIAL miss out on something as basic as that? Some more enquiries and we got the directions. We had to walk about 500 meters from the Terminal building for the toilet. And honestly there was nothing International about this toilet, at least in its maintenance. It is very Indian & very local.

I was keen to know how different can an ‘International Airport’ be from an ‘Airport’. I mean really what can be the difference? Well this is what I realized. There is no difference. An Airport is an Airport. And that’s pretty much it. For all those of us who hang out a lot at the malls in Bangalore, we are already used to the escalators, glow signs, uniformed facility management chaps, colorful chairs in the food zones, the organized parking & so on & so forth. The Bangalore International Airport is no different. But yes where the Bangalore International Airport can learn something from the Mall’s facility management chaps is in the maintenance of the toilets. One other area where they can take tips from a mall is in putting up some displays as to where the toilets are. I guess the kind of people who make malls & airports are the same. Because at both places you cant sit.

But yes where the feel of International comes in according to me is in the fact that you don’t see any autos & two wheelers around (I didn’t see any two wheelers at the air port that day but can’t confirm if they are not allowed there). Another area where you get a feel of International is in the size of the entire thing. It’s big & especially so when it’s compared to the previous HAL Airport. Despite these stand out features where it probably lacks in the International tag is Security. It does seem relaxed. Even the area next to the terminal building where some flights are parked can be clearly seen from the distance. The flights are only about a stone’s throw away.  One other area where some improvement would be great is in the food area. Is darshini type food or South Indian food per se not International? Why is it that we get more North Indian & the burger/sandwich type fare there than South Indian? Where is the promotion of local culture there

To sign off on a good note there is one good thing and that too with the most dreaded aspect about the airport, the connectivity. One can rest assured about the connectivity. BMTC has buses every half hour & round the clock. We took a BMTC Volvo well past mid night. This definitely is more cost effective & convenient but only to get into the city. From there you will have to rely on the auto or a taxi again. Other wise of course there are taxi services round the clock as well at the airport.

Unique features of the Airlift Vehicles….
- Airlift will be 6 seat air conditioned Toyota Innova. Individual Bucket seats for all 5 passengers.
- Airlift will have a LCD screen on each passenger seat for personalized entertainment system, these screens will show 5 channels with different contents.
- Airlift has ample overhead covered and secured luggage space.
- Airlift will be Wi-Fi enabled for passengers to browse the internet on the screens and as well as with their laptops.
- Airlift will be driven by our Auto Pilots who will be in uniform and well trained to communicate and present themselves to the customers.
- Airlift will also be tracked by GPS system to ensure efficient on time services and tracking every vehicle to make sure of complete security of passengers.
- Airlift is being designed to provide complete comfort and help the passenger to use their commuting time productively.

Pricing: While the Normal City Cab from or to the Airport will cost about 750/- to 1000/- one way. This service has been priced at Rs. 300/- one way and moreover Return journey for to and from the airport will be Rs. 450/- per person. That is nearly 70% saving on the Airport Transfers vis-à-vis a regular City Cab.

How to avail the service:

Book Tickets online on their website www.airliftonline.com through Credit or Debit Card. Pickup the Prepaid Coupons in any of the Retail Stores and call 9845047788 to make a booking or use the same on www.airliftonline.com

Support:
SMS AIRLIFT to 54545. Our support team will get in touch with you ASAP.
Call our 24/7 call center number 98450 47788 .

Though I have not yet tried this service but on the face of it looks quite attractive, pls logon to their website www.airliftonline.com for more information…

May 22nd 2008, yes that’s the date! Just a day before HAL is pushed to cease domestic travel. Despite formal position of the civil aviation ministry is that metros require two airports likes of Mumbai and Delhi….

In an interlocutory petition filed by social worker B Krishna Bhat, Bangalore City Connectivity Foundation (BCCF) and advocate G R Mohan, SC sought the details regarding the meeting’s held involving the Chief Secretary and other senior officials on April 19 and May 12, it is learnt that in these meeting they found it impossible to retain the HAL airport.

The petitioner Mr. Bhat does have some interesting points put up before the bench…

• That the decision to close the HAL airport has been taken under pressure as the BIAL is not willing to give up its right under the agreement it has drawn up with the government.
• Even the gazette notification on May 16 for the inauguration of BIAL has come following pressure from BIAL.
• Government has failed to minimize the problems faced by the public and suggested that the airport transport service, economy and efficiency should improve before considering the closure.
• Infrastructure including the road connectivity to Devanahalli is not yet ready and the airport authority itself is not yet clear whether it can function effectively from Devanahalli.
• Quick inauguration is an attempt to pre-empt the dismissal of the PILs which are posted for June second week.
• The new airport is already crowded with a capacity of just nine million, while the HAL airport has a capacity of 10.1 million and is therefore it is necessary to retain the HAL airport.
• Said that none of the respondents — BIAL, Union and State Governments, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) — had made any effort to thrash out the contentious issues.

All that and more action is slated in and around May 22nd and public at large continues to keep their fingers crossed…..

To refresh your memory (in case you haven’t been reading enough of it already!), the new airport is on the National Highway 7 and is 40kms from the city’s central business district.

Meru and EasyCabs are the taxi services which have tied up with the airport. An indicative price from the airport to MG Road is around Rs 600 including waiting charges of Rs 60 per hour. And if that’s a little scary, the shuttle services that connect the airport to different parts of the city might be a better option. There’s also an option of long term and short term parking at the airport.

So hope you folks are all geared up for the new BIAL airport!

For more information, go here: www.bengaluruairport.com

The new airport is all set to put holes in the pockets of the travelers under UDF charges and roaring taxis that will clinch out few more hundreds, that’s the story now!! The infrastructure starving city is now getting hoaxed by this new ‘arrangement’ by and between few that would churn many closing the HAL airport…uhhhh!

Not sure if BIAL can come under RTI act as the share of govt together is more than 26%, why the drama of negotiations by and between govt entities which rather than imposing closure of HAL should work towards keeping it open to all low cost domestic flights, this would ensure those who can afford to fly by helicopter to reach BIAL and take premium flights and many others who will queue up at the gates to catch seats in low cost airlines with their lunch tiffin hand baggage!!

Finally to console myself, I look at few pictures of HAL & the airport kept on public display at HAL Aerospace Museum in the city …

All photos courtesy HAL museum public display

Getting there
We were taken in a A/C bus from Chinnaswamy stadium. The actual plan was to travel by BMTC’s Vayu Vajra, but somehow it didn’t materialized. We took the usual NH-7 and approached the airport by switching from the highway using almost complete trumpet interchange. A 5 km ride from the interchange took us to the terminal building.

First impression


Lookwise from outside the airport is not really an architecture marvel but it is way better than current HAL airport. As explained by one of the member of architect team, the flooring is completely done using granite slabs and efforts have been put to give a good impression to tourists.

Interiors
The architect team seems to have got the basics right. According to a design guideline it is better to have a nice ceiling inside rather than external grandeur, so that millions of people experience it. This guideline is addressed by unique curved ceiling with panels in between. These panels brings sufficient amount of natural light inside the terminals. The other major observation was that it was very pleasant inside even though AC was off, courtesy cooling effect of granite slabs.

Future Expansion Plans

Kiran of BIAL communication team briefed us about the future expansion using the proposed complete model of the airport. He explained that a new terminal will be constructed in the south which would be a mirror image of the one in the north, with a parallel runway. This upcoming runway will be operational with the current one simultaneously, unlike many multiple runways airports in India. This briefing session was followed by a Q&A session in which Kiran answered many queries.

Departure terminal

The departure terminal consists of 53 check-in counters. Operationally these check-in counters will not be dedicated to a particular airline, instead they will be allocated dynamically. The baggages will undergo 5 level of security check after check-in, so there will be no task of getting a security seal before check-in procedure. One observation is that the counters are very close to each other, I hope there are no issues when all counters are operational simultaneously. Other than regular counters there will be self service kiosks in the terminal where a person with only cabin bag can avail a boarding pass. This facility will be common for all airlines (at HAL airport only Jet airways has this facility).

Departure Gates

There are escalators to take passengers from level-0 to the departure lounge located in level-1. This area will have retails such as shoppers stop, crosswords etc. From the lounge the passengers will get on board through the 8 aerobridges or 9 bus bays.

Emergency services

For fire emergency BIAL has procured fire engine vehicles supplied by Rosenbauer. We were given a functional demonstration of this monster vehicle.

Arrival terminal
The most important part of the arrival section are the baggage belts. In the airport there are seven baggage belts 3 for domestic, 2 for international and 2 in swing area. The modularity of the airport facilitates to have more belts to be allocated to domestic passengers in daytime and international passenger nighttime. To start off BIAL is planning to follow the same schedule as that of HAL.

Transportation.
This is the important issue for this absurdly far airport. According to BIAL’s handout the transportation options will be

• MeruCabs and Easycabs for taxi services (fare Rs. 15 per km)
• Hertz and Akbar Travels for luxury transport services
• BMTC Vayu Vajra A/C Volvo buses (min fare Rs. 70, max fare Rs. 200)
• BMTC Suvarna non A/C buses (min fare Rs. 20, max fare Rs. 90)

Other than these there will be to and fro airport shuttles between passenger terminal and the trumpet interchange every 5 minutes.

Airport Opening
After 30 months of construction and 3 months of testing BIAL could not meet the initial deadline because of several external factors which were beyond their control. Now the AAI will be ready with ATC equipment by May 10th the new official opening date is May 11th. But due to election season there is still an uncertainty. Considering the distance factor, some people are proposing to retain commercial operations at HAL airport. But this proposal has taken a backseat partially after Deccan herald has reported that the travel to current HAL airport is not really an easy task.

Thinking one level above all these it is better to transfer operations from HAL to BIA gradually, especially considering the congestion happened after opening of Bangkok’s new Survanabhumi Airport recently due to many technical/non-technical reasons, because of this some operations have to be shifted back to the old airport. I hope this situation is not repeated in Bangalore.

The trials held included basic and advanced trials. The advanced trials continue and involve testing of combinations of basic processes and stress tests to check capacity of installations, systems and the staff. These trials test the capacity of different sub-processes and eventually show critical areas and possible obstacles. Based on the feedback received, processes are improved and/or fine-tuned.

Of more interest to passengers are options to get to the airport and some of the transportation services planned for the new airport are:

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. In addition, BMTC has procured 116 Ashok Leyland Non AC buses to connect the airport to the City; the cost per trip is yet to be decided. BIAL will provide free of cost professional bus bays.

Taxi service: 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. Pre and post paid taxi facilities will be available on meter charges @ Rs.15/- per km (subject to Govt regulation).

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.

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.

Keeping HAL Operational

So I also read that there is now increased pressure on keeping the HAL Airport open. Different political parties are now demanding that the airport should be kept open for short haul flights. That’s of course what citizens have been crying about all this while anyway! If you have to travel for more than 3 hours to catch a flight to Chennai for a duration of less than an hour, it doesn’t make too much sense at all. In fact, the bookings on short haul flights, especially in the Chennai and Mangalore sector have seen a big dip and not surprising considering that road connectivity is good and there’s an overnight train to Mangalore now.

While all this hungama is happening, another news says that the ATC is not yet ready and the new airport will now take off around 2-4 weeks late. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) apparently said that certain safety norms are not upto the standards.

So it seems like the new airport will not open on March 30 as announced. The new date will be revealed shortly and we’re all ears!