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Flying to Bangalore made easy
Published on Thu, Nov 02, 2006 at 08:00, Updated on Thu, Nov 02, 2006 at 09:53 in 
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Bangalore: Chaos, confusion and long queues - that's Bangalore Airport. And it just gets worse during peak hours because there are more passengers and flights than the airport can handle.
The Bangalore Airport handles 120 domestic and 20 international flights with nearly two lakh footfalls everyday. However, in a take-off of a positive kind for the aviation sector, flying in and out of India’s IT hub will soon become smoother.
With aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) modernising its air traffic control systems with a soon-to-be-installed Airport Surveillance Radar, the airport will be able to handle the two lakh travelers with much ease.
HAL, which owns and operates the airport, has nearly doubled the number of its air traffic controllers and renovated the terminal building. The major renovation plan will allow the airport to handle 30 flights an hour – nearly 50 per cent spike from what it now handles.
"The last two aircraft of our fleet, which have just come, have been parked in the HAL Airport. We have given them upfront money for building our parking spaces in the Airport. We are expanding in Bangalore as Bangalore is one of the major cities in the country. There is a lot of potential," says Chief Financial Officer, Air Deccan, Mohan Kumar.
The upgradation plan was conceptualised in April, 2006 when things came to a head and HAL had to ask the Airport Authority of India to stop issuing licences for new flights.
So, while the traffic was growing, the airport had to actually refuse business. HAL charges Rs 20,000 per landing or take-off for domestic flights and Rs 70,000 for international flights.
Now with the modernisation of the airport, both the HAL and the airlines are hoping for a boom and passengers are hoping for a smooth takeoff.
(With Srinjoy Roy and Mansi Sharma)
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