Aerospace Diary

B y Neelam Mathews Bangalore puts technology at the core of growth strategy 21-Jan-2019 Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), operator of Kempegowda International Airport, has embarked on a USD2 billion expansion programme that includes a new 255,650 m     2   C hina plans strong growth until 2050 Dec 28 2018...More in JAR Interview: Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman AAI -  Sept 25 2019 Rapid demand growth in recent years poses infrastructure problems for the Indian aviation industry, but Airports Authority of  India  (AAI) Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra is convinced his organisation is rising to the challenge. More in JAR... Muscat International Airport invests in technological enhancements Nov 29, 2018 The new USD5 billion Muscat International Airport project, the largest in  Oman , is leading the way in technological developments. The new USD5 billion Muscat International Airport p...

Neelam Mathews, Delhi  - IHS Jane's Airport Review 21 January 2019 Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), operator of Kempegowda International Airport, has embarked on a USD2 billion expansion programme that includes a new 255,650 m  2   Terminal 2 (T2) and a second 4,000 m-long runway. Architects for the first phase of the T2 project are Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with Turner Construction Company in support for project engineering. Indian company Larsen & Toubro is leading the construction effort, and in October 2018 it began work on the new south parallel runway, apron, and associated airfield infrastructure. A new air traffic control tower is not required. BIAL plans to complete the second runway by September 2019, with the terminal to follow by March 2021. “BIAL works with some of the best brains in the industry – from across the globe – to ensure that projects are of the best quality as well as delivered on time,” a spokesman for the...

Neelam Mathews Nov 7 JAR Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), operator of the third busiest airport in  India  after Delhi and Mumbai, has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for 130 e-gates integrated with the Aadhaar national biometric system. Potential vendors must submit bids for the Aadhaar Enabled Entry and Biometric Boarding System (AEEBBS) RFP by 27 November, although  Jane’s  understands this may be extended. The RFP is split into two parts, ...more in Jane's

Neelam Mathews, Delhi   - IHS Jane's Airport Review 04 April 2016     The Mauritius-based subsidiaries of Fairfax India Holdings Corp and Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd will collectively acquire 33% of the equity of Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) from Bangalore Airport & Infrastructure Developers, a subsidiary of GVK Power and Infrastructure. The transaction is valued at approximately USD321 million, with completion expected by mid-2016. BIAL owns and operates the Kempegowda International in Bengaluru, the first airport in India to be built by a public-private partnership. Today, GVK Group is the largest shareholder in BIAL with a 43% stake, followed by Siemens Project Ventures (26%). Government-owned Airport Authority of India and Karnataka State Industrial Investment & Development Corp Ltd hold 13% each, while Flughafen Zurich has 5%.....Read more in Janes Airports Review 

  Neelam Mathews  April 22, 2013 Complications don’t go away in India- more so for late entrants like AirAsia India, likely to be faced by a flood of pain points. Tony Fernandes has time and again declared Chennai as its hub, but at AerospaceDiary, we won’t be surprised if this decision may need to be re-looked. Little wonder, the carrier has not approached the authorities for an NOC as yet. As they say, never forget to look over your shoulder- there might be a competitor lurking there. In Chennai, where SpiceJet is safely enconsed with night parking for its six 737s and 4 Q400s using seven gates for their early morning flights and Indigo with five aircraft parked, possibly using the other two, and just 24 takeoffs and landings an hour, one wonders how the Asian giant will tap its early morning flight requirement with limited runway slots. Horror stories are aplenty about the new large terminal referred to by an operator, as a “white elephant”, not helpful to a ...

Neelam Mathews April 10, 2012 One had barely got used to the new tongue twister names of Bengaluru and Thiruvanthapuram, and now Bangalore International Airport will soon be getting a name "to reflect the aspirations of the local populace," says a daily. The airport will be named after Kempegowda, the founder of Bangalore, or shall we say Bengaluru?. The approval for change has come even as the city celebrates the 502nd birth anniversary of its founder. The ICAO code of KEM  (now for a short and sweet history lesson) - belongs to Kemi (Northern Sami: Giepma), airport, a town and municipality of Finland. It is located very near the city of Tornio. It was founded in 1869 by royal decree, because of its proximity to a deep water harbour. So for the moment Kempegowda airport will have the code of BLR. Mumbai airport has the code BOM! We really should stick to names we are familiar with!

Airports Aviation Daily Apr 20 , 2010 , p. 12 Neelam Mathews As business returns, Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) is investing $140 million to expand its airport to accommodate 17 million passengers expected by 2015, up from the present 9.2 million. “A growth of 11-15% a year will take us to 17 million passengers by 2015. The terminal will be expanded by 70% of the existing building with an additional passenger space of 40,000 sq.m,” CEO Marcel Hungerbuehler tells The DAILY. Hyderabad International Airport, also a greenfield airport, handles 6.6 million passengers a year. The GVK group, which owns a majority stake in Bangalore Airport, is reviewing plans — earlier put on hold — for an aerospace park near the airport that would have facilities for civil and defense services. GVK holds a nearly 37% stake in Mumbai International Airport Ltd. and about 29% in BIAL. Passenger numbers at BIAL are up 14% in the fiscal year ended March 31, compared with last year. Increas...

News Aviation Daily Mar 02 , 2010 , p. 13 Neelam Mathews With the corporate market and economy bouncing back, Bangaluru International Airport is adding more international airlines this year. Cargo will be the focus of Air China, which starts twice-weekly operations on Feb. 27, Fedex with five weekly flights starts operations June 1, and Air Asia on May 29. Etihad has also shown interest, but is limited by present bilaterals. Qatar launched daily flights on Feb. 22 to its 11th Indian destination. Bengaluru will be served daily with 144-seat Airbus A320s from the airline’s Doha hub. The third-largest city in India has until now only been served by Emirates among the Middle East airlines. These new services will take the international flights to Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) to 19. Six domestic carriers fly to the airport, which was hit during the recessionary months last year with declines in international travel. Bengaluru is now the fourth-largest city for cargo operation...