BIAL - A new start in Indian aviation
The new greenfield Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli will put Bangalore city on the global destination map and will offer travellers facilities comparable with the best international airports. The Airport is envisioned to meet the growing aviation needs of the city through the development of a passenger friendly, well operated and financially sound airport. Mr Albert Brunner, CEO, Bangalore International Airport Ltd. talks to AviationWatch about the developments at ground zero and his plans to make it a truly world class airport.
Why does Bangalore need an international airport?
Bangalore does have an airport. However, the existing Bangalore airport is located within city limits and suffers severe limitations for expansion of both airside and landside facilities. These constraints do not allow expansion of the airport. In order to keep pace with the rapid development in Bangalore as India's leader in information technology, biotechnology and the services industry, the Government of Karnataka and the Airports Authority of India initiated the greenfield airport project north of Bangalore. Bangalore's current airport is the fourth largest in India. BIAL, when completed, will be the first international airport in India built, owned and operated by a public limited company with a majority of private shareholders. The financial close was reached at the end of June 2005; construction began on 2nd July 2005 and will last, including the testing phase, for 33 months. The new Bangalore International Airport is estimated to open for commercial operations on April 2, 2008.
What is the current state of construction?
It is twenty months since the construction at the new greenfield site started and it is now nearing 60% completion as we speak. Currently the entire project work is in progress i.e. the Terminal building, the Air traffic control (ATC) & technical block, runway, apron and taxiway and all the other ancillary buildings. It is important for me to point out here that building a new private greenfield airport in India is much more than a construction project. It means setting up of an unprecedented legal framework, coping with huge time pressure, recruiting and training personnel from a large talent pool with limited experience in airport management. It also requires selection of partners like flight caterers, ground handlers and dutyfree & retailers etc., who are willing and able to provide service according to the highest international standards. The opening of Bangalore International Airport represents a new start in Indian Aviation with regard to the experience of the passenger on the ground. Bangalore, being the Silicon Valley of India and probably the most modern and multicultural city of India, shall have an airport that stands for the new modern and international India, proud of its culture and history, but part of the global economy.
What will the airport's capacity be?
The new airport will be able to handle 11 million passengers annually. This project will cost approximately Indian Rupees 1930 crores, which is equivalent to approx. US $ 430 mio with added investment of approx. Indian Rupees 750 crores made by selected concessionaires. The Master Plan of the new Bangalore International Airport has been developed to fulfil the need for an operationally efficient and passenger friendly airport for Bangalore. It ensures that the size and capacity of the airport facilities can be gradually expanded based on the passenger and cargo growth. The land at our disposal allows us to develop the airport up to a capacity of approximately 50 million passengers a year. The Master Plan not only includes provision of premium land for commercial real estate developments such as office parks, retail, entertainment and hospitality but also land reserve for a rail link to the city.
How will it compare to other international airports in India and around the world?
BIAL will aim to make the new Bangalore International Airport one of the best airports in India. BIAL is truly passenger focused. For example, passengers will be able to transfer between domestic and international flights under one roof. Furthermore, we are one of the first airports in India to have a first class Business hotel within walking distance from the terminal building. We will also have a leisure and entertainment area for "meeters and greeters". Passenger experience should combine business and leisure, therefore it is part of our vision to develop 215 acres of commercial real estate for the airport city. It will house business centers, entertainment centers, malls, office space etc. BIAL has pioneered the partner selection approach for airside services through selection of professional international partners. We will offer competitive price structures and achieve defined quality and service levels for services such as fuel facility, cargo handling, ground handling, duty free & retail, food & beverage, flight catering and many other services.
How does BIAL plan to tackle its manpower requirement of 500 people and what are the employee benefits?
We have been building the BIAL organisation step by step. When we started out in India, we were just a 6 member team and today we have grown to almost 70
members. Till now, our focus was to build the leadership team and then move to other levels. This is a specialized field and we have been successful with the initial phase of the recruitment. The expansion of air transportation in India is amongst the fastest in the world and there is a scarcity of experienced personnel in this field. The challenge is not to find well educated people, but well educated people with loyalty, strong dedication and most important, experience in airport operation and airport marketing. Over and above the fascinating work environment and competitive compensation structure, BIAL offers
its employees long term job stability along with all the other perks that come with a regular job i.e. : employee provident fund, medical insurance for self and family, accident insurance for self, annual leave encashment, maternity leave and a sound HR policy. The retirement age at BIAL is 60 years.
We are a growing organization and are currently focusing on recruitment. Going forward, we will look at customizing a few HR practices unique to BIAL.
- Aviation News - March 9, 2010
-
- Destination of the Week
-
-
Rathyatra – Puri, Orissa ( Early July )
Back