Cleared for takeoff

In the city known as India’s Silicon Valley, 15 years is practically a lifetime. That’s how long Bangalore has been waiting for an...

In the city known as India’s Silicon Valley, 15 years is practically a lifetime. That’s how long Bangalore has been waiting for an international airport. But this Republic Day, India’s biotech hub can finally see the beginnings of one.

Large chunks of earth lie dug up as around 1,800 workers in bright yellow and blue safety helmets go about building what promises to be India’s first world-class airport, with a capacity to eventually handle 40 million passengers. Work began at the site—located 35 km outside Bangalore, in Devanahalli—in July 2005, and a skeletal steel structure is already up.

The project is among the first public-private partnerships in India and a Greenfield airport. In its first phase the airport will cater to over 6.7 million passengers per year, create 1,000 jobs per million passengers and have cargo capacity of 1.4 lakh tonnes per year. Apart from regular services, the airport promises travellers a hotel, shopping mall, tax-free shops, food courts and other convenience amenities.

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While the project was conceived when Ghulam Nabi Azad was the Union civil aviation minister in the P V Narasimha Rao government, it began to materialise in 1994 and has since been shelved and reshelved more than once.

That Bangalore badly needs a new airport has never been in doubt. The current airport, HAL, is considered one of the fastest growing airports in the country, handling over 40 lakh passengers a year. Once the new airport at Devanahalli is ready, all international and domestic airlines will operate from there while the HAL airport will be exclusively used by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and the Indian Air Force for testing aircraft.

In the first phase, a 4-km runway, aircraft stands, a terminal building, technical buildings and other airside and landside facilities are being constructed. As one walks across the site spread over 3,880 acres of land, there is a definite buzz—even a sense of pride. ‘‘I have been involved in the making of a number of structures in Bangalore. However, this is the first that will be a landmark for Bangalore,’’ says Chief Project Officer Sivaramakrishnan S Iyer. A consortium consisting of Siemens, Zurich Airport and Larsen and Toubro has undertaken the project. Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) is the owner and operator.

‘‘I am very pleased to be part of this prestigious project as this is a major infrastructure project not only for the city of Bangalore but also for the country,’’ says Jill Deviprasad of BIAL. ‘‘It will ease air traffic bottlenecks in this region of the country as it adds new capacity. To be part of this project is an honour and a great feeling.’’

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With the target launch date being April 2008, work is on for 14-16 hours a day and is, till now, on schedule. The workers begin early in the morning and finish late in the evening.

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