Finally, Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) came of age on Saturday — around 42 km away from the old HAL airport. An Indian Airlines flight IC 957 to Singapore was the first to take off at 12.10 am from here. Full of teething troubles, connectivity being one, the opening day also saw fair share of praise for the airport. Pilots like Captain Sunil Vashist appreciated the landing systems. “A weekend is not really a good time to judge a new airport since passenger pressure may be reduced. It will take another month for all systems to be working in tandem,” said a private airline official working at the airport.BIA’s is not a spectacle that overwhelms at first sight; its true modernity lies inside the airport. Intended to be India’s first privately-developed and owned greenfield airport when first conceived in 1991, the airport’s journey so far has been tumultuous. For the promoters of the Rs 3,500-crore project, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) — a consortium of Siemens, Zurich Airport, L&T, AAI and the Karnataka Government, particularly its German CEO Albert Brunner — the opening was euphoric. “I am the happiest man in India and it is a great moment for us. Everyone would be proud of this facility,” Brunner had said shortly after the High Court verdict on the airport opening on Friday evening.The Bangalore project has seen others like Hyderabad and Kochi, which built legal and business agreement frameworks based on the Bangalore model, overtake it to the status of first private, greenfield airport. The Bangalore international airport project was first taken up in 1991 by a consortium led by the Tatas. They, however, walked out of the project following delays and political oneupmanship. The project has had two ground-breaking ceremonies — in 2002 when A B Vajpayee was the prime minister and in 2004 when S M Krishna was the chief minister.THE UPS & DOWNS• Project conceived in 1991 • Tatas-led consortium walks out over delays • May 1999: MoU signed between AAI, Karnataka • June 1999: Expression of interest invited• Nov 8, 2000: Bidders asked to submit detailed reports • Oct 29, 2001: Seimens-led consortium selected by Karnataka• Jan 23, 2002: Shareholders’ agreement signed • Jan 2002: Vajpayee performs ground breaking • Jan 2004: Another ground breaking by S M Krishna • July 2004: Concession agreement signed between state, Centre, BIAL • Dec 21, 2004: Final clearance given by Dharam Singh Govt• Jan 20, 2005: State support agreement between state, BIAL • Jan 20, 2005: Land lease agreement between state, BIAL• March 11, 2005: EPC contracts with Seimens, L&T • April 8, 2005: Operation and maintenance agreement between BIAL, Unique Zurich• April 6, 2005: CNS/ATM agreement between BIAL, AAI• April 30, 2005: Land lease deed signed by BIAL, KSIIDC• June 10, 2005: Extension of shareholders’ agreement • June 22, 2005: SBI guarantee to state support of Rs 350 crore • June 23, 2005: Declaration of financial closure by ICICI Bank • July 2, 2005: Construction commencement date• March 7, 2008: First test flight from Bangalore HAL airport to BIAL• March 30: First scheduled opening but postponed to May 11 on Aviation Ministry orders• May 11: Opening rescheduled again to May 23 on the order of the Election Commission • May 24: Airport opens
