According to a report from Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), Kempegowda International Airport (Bangalore-BLR) will not have flights landing and taking off between 10:30am and 5pm from February 19 to April 30, 2017. The move is to facilitate upgradation work in the existing runway. The release says that operations at the airport will be partially closed for three months next year. The runway will be partially closed during the rehearsals and show timings of the Aero India 2017. Authorities have worked out the flight schedules in the hours preceding and following the closure each day during this period with the Air Traffic Control and all the airline companies that operate in KIA, with the approval of the civil aviation ministry, the statement said. The plan is to build two rapid exit taxiways (RETs) under the existing runway to enhance air traffic movement from 38 per hour to 48 per hour. The enhancement is part of KIA’s total upgradation. BIAL authorities say work has to be completed before the onset of monsoon in May. Other activities related to the building of two RETs will be carried out with minimal impact on airline operations and passenger movement. The airport taxi and BMTC shuttles have also been informed to align their services to accommodate the increase in traffic between 5pm and 10:30am. KIA is also building the second runway towards the southern side of the airport, which is estimated to become functional by September 2019. The second terminal will be operational by 2021. Together, the two terminals will be handling 55 million passengers a year by 2021.
Read More »IATA and BIAL collaborate to improve airport processes
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in various areas of airport operations, including security, passenger experience, cargo, airport development, consulting and training. The MoU was signed by Conrad Clifford, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific, and Hari Marar, BIAL’s President for Airport Operations, on the sidelines of an industry event in New Delhi. This MoU is the first of its kind that IATA has signed with an Indian airport. One of the highlights of the MoU could see IATA and BIAL implementing trials of new technologies and processes, and testing concepts at Bangalore International Airport. “This will place Bangalore International Airport in the forefront of airport operations. These trials will ensure that global best practice solutions can be appropriately adapted to the Indian environment, and will provide guidance for rolling out the implementation to other Indian airports,” said Clifford. The IATA Fast Travel initiative, Passenger Facilitation program and Smart Security are among the initiatives being considered as part of the MoU. “An important objective of the MoU is to promote the efficient development of civil aviation in India to meet growing demand. By 2035, India’s passenger traffic is forecast to exceed 400 million passengers, more than double that of today. The industry will support 19 million jobs and $172 billion of India’s GDP. But for this potential to become reality, India’s airports need to have the necessary infrastructure capacity while implementing efficient processes that embrace the latest technologies,” said Clifford.
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