Kempegowda International Airport(IATA: BLR, ICAO: VOBL) is an international airport serving Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, India. Spread over 4,000 acres (1,600ha), it is located about 30 kilometres (19mi) north of the city near the suburb of Devanahalli. It is owned and operated by Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), a public–private consortium. The airport opened in May 2008 as an alternative to increased congestion at HAL Airport, the original primary commercial airport serving the city. It is named after Kempe Gowda I, the founder of Bangalore. Kempegowda International Airport became Karnataka's first fully solar powered airport developed by CleanMax Solar.[7][8][9]
Kempegowda International Airport is the third-busiest airport by passenger traffic, air traffic movements and domestic and total cargo handled in India,[10] behind the airports in Delhi and Mumbai, and is the 29th busiest airport in Asia. In the FY 2021–22, the airport handled around 16.2million passengers and 411,550 tonnes (453,660 short tons) of cargo.
The airport has a single passenger terminal that handles both domestic and international operations, and two runways, the second of which was commissioned on 6 December 2019.[11][12] A second terminal (Phase-1) is in the final stages of construction. Also, there is a cargo village and three cargo terminals. The airport serves as a hub for AirAsia India, Alliance Air, Go First, IndiGo, Star Air and DHL Aviation[3] and is a focus city for Air India and SpiceJet. The airport was recognised as the best airport (25 to 40 million passengers per annum) in Asia-Pacific in 2020 by Airports Council International.[13]
Kempegowda International Airport connects 27 international destinations across the globe, the highest in South India.[14]
History
Planning (1991–2004)
The original airport serving Bangalore was HAL Airport, located 5 kilometres (3.1mi) from the city centre. It was the primary airport serving Bangalore city until 2008. Originally established in 1942 for military and defence purposes, HAL began domestic operations for the first time in the late 1970s. The unexpected popularity of the newly offered domestic flights encouraged rapid expansion of the airport. In the late 1990s, the first international flights started.[15]Air India was the first airline to offer international flights, flying to Singapore. In 2000, the first foreign airline started operations from HAL Airport, with Royal Nepal Airlines to Kathmandu, followed by Lufthansa'sA340 a year later from Germany. Several other major international carriers such as British Airways and Air France were already serving the old airport by 2005.[16]
However, as Bangalore grew into the Silicon Valley of India and passenger traffic to the city rose, HAL Airport with a single runway and limited aircraft parking space was unable to cope with this increased traffic. In 2007 it saw a footfall of 8 million passengers, more than double its original capacity of 3.6 million.[17][18] There was no room for expansion and the airport apron could only park six aircraft.[19] In March 1991, former chairman of the National Airports Authority of India (NAAI) S. Ramanathan convened a panel to select the site for a new airport. The panel decided on Devanahalli, a village about 30 kilometres (19mi) north of Bangalore.[20][21] The State Government made a proposal to build the airport with private assistance, which the Union Government approved in 1994.[22] Finally in 1995, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Government of Karnataka decided to call for international consortia to own, build and operate the new Greenfield airport of the city.[23]
In December 1995, a consortium of Tata Group, Raytheon and Singapore Changi Airport signed a memorandum of understanding with the State Government regarding participation in the project. In June 1998, however, the consortium announced it was pulling out of the project due to delays in government approval. These included disputes over the location of the airport and the fate of HAL Airport.[20][24]
In May 1999, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) of the State Government signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the nature of the project. It would be a public–private partnership, with AAI and KSIIDC having a 26% share and private companies having the remaining 74%.[22] In January 2001, the State Government created the company Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) as a special purpose entity and began searching for partners.[25] By November, the project had attracted Unique Zürich Airport, Siemens Project Ventures and Larsen & Toubro.[26] Construction was expected to begin in October 2002;[27] however, governmental delays persisted.[28][29] The concession agreement between the State Government, the Union Government and BIAL was signed in July 2004.[30] In it, BIAL required the closure of HAL Airport.[31]
It took nearly a decade from the initial stage of land allocation and acquisition, to signing of shareholder agreements in 2002 and until start of construction.
During the formation of legal framework, BIAL's main observation was the unprecedented growth that aviation industry faced.[23]
Designing
BIAL, when the project was first designated, had anticipated traffic of approximately 5 million in the first year of operations in 2008. However, HAL Airport had handled over 8 million passengers by the time the construction of the new greenfield airport started. It took more than nine months to redesign the process along with gaining the necessary approvals, and when the approval for increased project was sanctioned, the construction was half done. The project was well on track despite the challenge and was expected to be ready by its initial given open date.
The revised increased capacity project was constructed to cater to eleven million passengers per annum, up from the previous plan of 5 million passengers per annum. BIAL increased project had plans to build a terminal with eight passengers boarding bridges, one double arm aerobridge, nine remote bus gates and a runway measuring 4,000 metres with efficient taxiways. BIAL also planned to build an apron with 42 Code-C aircraft stands (with eight contact stands) as well as an air- and land-side road system. The estimated cost for the entire project was Rs 1,930 crore (approximately US$430 million).[23]
Construction and opening (2005–2008)
Construction finally commenced on 2 July 2005.[32] When a study predicted the airport would receive 6.7million passengers in 2008, the airport was redesigned from its initial capacity of 4.5million passengers to 11 million,[33] with the terminal size expanded and the number of aircraft stands increased. The cost of the airport rose to ₹19.3 billion (US$240million).[34] Construction was completed in 32 months, and BIAL set the launch date for 30 March 2008.[35] However, due to delays in establishing air traffic control services at the airport, the launch date was pushed to 11 May[36] and finally 24 May 2008.[37]
As the opening date for the airport approached, public criticism arose, mainly directed toward the closure of HAL Airport. In March 2008, AAI employees conducted a massive strike against the closure of HAL Airport along with Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, fearing they would lose their jobs.[38] The Bangalore City Connect Foundation, a group of citizens and businessmen, staged a rally in mid-May, claiming the new airport was too small for the latest demand projections.[39][40] On 23 May, a hearing was held at the Karnataka High Court over poor connectivity between the city and the airport. Ultimately, the State Government decided to go ahead with inaugurating the new airport and closing HAL Airport.[41]
The first flight to the airport, Air India Flight 609 from Mumbai, was allowed to land the previous night as it would be continuing to Singapore shortly after midnight. The aircraft touched down at 10:40pm on 23 May.[42] The airport became the third greenfield airport under a public–private partnership to open in India, after Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad and Cochin International Airport.[43]
Renaming and expansion (2009–present)
The original name of the airport was Bengaluru International Airport.[44] In February 2009, the State Government sent a proposal to the Union Government to rename the airport after the founder of Bangalore, Kempe Gowda I.[45] When no action was taken, the State Government passed a resolution for the name change in December 2011.[46] The Union Government accepted the proposal in 2012[47] and formally approved it in July 2013.[46] The airport was officially renamed Kempegowda International Airport on 14 December 2013 amid the inauguration of the expanded terminal building.[48]
Kingfisher Airlines once operated a hub and was one of the largest airlines at the airport. Following its collapse in October 2012, other airlines stepped in to fill the gap in domestic connectivity by adding more flights.[49] In addition, Air Pegasus and AirAsia India launched hub operations at the airport in 2014.[50][51]
The first phase of expansion was launched in June 2011 and finished in December 2013.[52][53] The ₹15 billion (US$190million) project doubled the size of the passenger terminal to 150,556 square metres (1,620,570sqft), involving the construction of additional facilities for check-in, immigration, security and baggage reclaim.[53][54] One domestic gate and three international gates were added as well. A large, sweeping roof connects the original building with the expanded areas.[55] The expanded terminal, dubbed "Terminal 1A", has raised the annual passenger capacity of the airport to 25 million.[56]
Ethiopian Airlines began the first and only flights between Bangalore and the African continent in 2019, linking the city to its hub in Addis Ababa.[57] Two years later, on 9 January 2021, an Air India Boeing 777-200LR arrived from San Francisco, marking the first direct service between the United States and Bangalore, as well as South India as a whole.[58][59] The flights were operated under a temporary arrangement between the Indian and American governments that facilitates non-stop air travel between the two countries during the COVID-19 pandemic called "Air Bubble".[60]United Airlines is scheduled to initiate non-stop flights from San Francisco in last quarter of 2022.[61]
Qantas, in April 2022, announced the first ever direct flight between Bangalore and Sydney, Australia. This will also be the first nonstop service between Australia and South India. Qantas expects to begin flying to Bangalore from 14 September 2022. From then, the airport will have non-stop flights to 5 continents around the world.[62][63]
Ownership
The airport is owned and operated by Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), a public limited company. The Government of India has granted BIAL the right to operate the airport for 30 years, with the option to continue for another 30 years. The company is a public–private consortium venture. GVK initially owned 43% of the shares in Bangalore Airport. In 2016, GVK decided to divest its 33% share of in BIAL to Fairfax Financial for ₹2149 cr. In March 2017, GVK confirmed having done so.
Finally, in January 2018, GVK decided to sell the remaining 10% shares to Fairfax Financial for ₹1,290 crore and exit Bangalore Airport completely.[64]
26% is held by government entities Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation (13%) and Airports Authority of India (13%), and 74% is held by private companies Fairfax Financial (54%) and Siemens Project Ventures (20%).[65][66][67]
In March 2021 the Airports Authority of India announced their plans to sell their 13% stake in order to raise funds. Between FY 2022–2025, the Government aims to raise as much as ₹20,782 crore through aviation. The process will start with the selling of stakes of Bangalore Airport followed by Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.[68]
Facilities
Runways
Kempegowda International Airport has two runways in use.
Runway 09L/27R: 4,000 by 45 metres (13,123ft ×148ft), CAT I, ILS equipped.[69][70]
Runway 09R/27L: 4,000 by 60 metres (13,120ft ×200ft), CAT III, ILS equipped.[69][70]
Four years after it was laid, the first runway (now designated 09L/27R) was entirely resurfaced because of a serious decline in quality.[71] From 11 March to 3 April 2012, it was closed daily between 10:30am and 5:30pm.[72] As a result, BIAL accused construction company Larsen & Toubro of building the runway poorly.[73] South of runway 09L/27R are a full-length parallel taxiway and the apron, which extends from the Blue Dart/DHL terminal to the passenger terminal.
The construction of the second runway at the airport is now complete, and was officially in use from 6 December 2019, when an IndiGo airlines flight (6E 466) to Hyderabad took off from runway 09R.[74] The runway will cater to all types of aircraft including Code-F aircraft like Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8 and will be equipped with CAT IIIB ILS. The runway also features an associated parallel taxiway and two cross-field taxiways on the east linking the new runway to the existing north runway and the aprons at Terminal 1 and the upcoming Terminal 2. The first runway (09L/27R) was also upgraded as part of the expansion work.[75]
The old runway (Runway 09L/27R) was closed from 22 June 2020 for nine months for rehabilitation and strengthening.[76] The runway was opened for service again on 31 March 2021 and put into service with the south runway, making KIA the first airport in South India to have parallel runway operations.[77]
Terminals
A single integrated passenger terminal accommodates both domestic and international operations. It covers 150,556m2 (1,620,570sqft) and can handle 20 million passengers annually.[54][56] Check-in and baggage reclaim are situated on the lower floor, while departure gates are located on the first floor. Gates 1, 2, 12–18, 28–30 on the first floor are used for domestic departures, gates 31–42 on the first floor are used for international departures, gates 3–9 and gates 19–25 form the Western and Eastern bus gates respectively.[78] Gate 41–42 is equipped to serve the world's largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380.[79] Lounges are provided by Travel Food Services, which also operates a transit hotel in the terminal. For VIPs there is a separate 930-square-metre (10,000sqft) lounge.[55][80][81]
Expansion
Under the second phase of the airport's expansion, a new terminal called Terminal 2 is being built.[82] The new terminal has been designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and is being built by Larsen & Toubro.[82]
Aviation fuel services
The airport has a fuel farm, spread over 11 acres (4.5ha) west of the cargo village and passenger terminal. It was built by IndianOil SkyTanking Ltd (IOSL) but is shared by multiple oil companies.[83] In October 2008, Indian Oil commissioned a 36-kilometre (22mi) fuel pipeline between its storage terminal in Devanagonthi and Kempegowda Airport. Previously, jet fuel had to be transported to the airport by tank trucks, which created traffic and pollution problems.[84]
Cargo facilities
Kempegowda Airport has three cargo terminals. One is operated by AISATS Ltd and has a capacity for 150,000 tonnes (170,000 short tons) of cargo;[85] it includes a facility for storing pharmaceuticals.[86]
BIAL inaugurated a separate cargo village in December 2008. The village is spread over 11 acres (4.5ha) and includes office space, conference rooms, a cafeteria for staff and parking space for nearly 80 trucks.[85] It did not open for occupation until 2010 and initially suffered low occupancy, which some cargo agents attributed to the opening delay, high rent and limited infrastructure.[88]
Transit Hotel
The 080 Transit Hotel, a niche boutique hotel, was created to provide a comfortable and convenient accommodation option for transit passengers. It offers a flexible hourly rate, which can be used by travelers between long layovers. Located within Terminal 1, the transit hotel is operated by Travel Food Services. [89]
Airport Hotel
Taj Hotels operates Taj Bangalore, which is located 500m away from Terminal 1. Taj Bangalore offers a range of luxurious rooms, restaurants and banquet facilities.[90]
Lounges
There are two lounges in the Airport, the 080 Domestic and the 080 International lounges. Named "080" after the trunk dial code of the city of Bengaluru, the lounges aim to pay an ode to the Garden City of Bengaluru with local artistry, culture inspired interiors and botanical elements, each zone in the lounge is carefully crafted to bring alive the stories of the city it’s inspired by. Both the lounges are operated by Travel Food Services.[91]
Central Kitchen
Food services provider SATS proposed to setup their first central kitchen, a 14,000sqm facility with an investment of Rs. 210 crore to cater to the demand in the region. SATS already has a long standing partnership with the airport through its aviation catering associate Taj SATS and ground handling associate AISATS. The facility will be located at the Kempegowda International Airport and is expected to be operational in the year 2022.[92]
Other facilities
AirAsia India has its head office on the ground floor of the Alpha 3 building on the airport property.[93]
IndiGo Ifly Training Academy
On 4 September 2019, India's leading airline, IndiGo announced that it will extend its learning academy, ifly to Bangalore, its 2nd such facility in India. The facility will be built in the Airport campus.
Starting 6 September 2019, ifly facilitated training to the airline employees. With over 27,000 employees, there are over 100 instructors in the academy, who conducts workshops on regular basis.
The Ifly learning academy of IndiGo Airlines facilitates special trainings throughout the year to its employees including required skills for job performance, customer services, ramp and marshalling training, safety and emergency procedures, departure control system, communication and leadership training and e-learning to name the few.[94]
IndiGo Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Facility
Interglobe Aviation Ltd., which operates India's largest airline IndiGo opened their second facility to service their fleet of predominantly Airbus aircraft. The facility, which has a volume of around 218,000 ft.², will have capacity for narrow-body aircraft and house a single bay catering for widebody aircraft.[95]The MRO is completed and is operational since August 2022.[96]
Future plans
The second phase of expansion is underway, which encompasses the construction of a second runway and passenger terminal. When complete, Kempegowda International Airport will be able to handle 55 million passengers per year.[97][98] The estimated ₹40 billion (US$500million) project received clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in September 2014.[99][100]
Ground work on the second runway began in February 2016 and the runway opened in December 2019.[99][101] Located south of the original terminal, it is parallel to runway 09/27 and measures 4,000 by 60 metres (13,120ft ×200ft), wider than the original runway so it can accommodate larger aircraft. The new runway is also CAT III certified, allowing for landings in fog and other low visibility conditions.[102]
A second terminal is being constructed to meet the airport's expected growth, and it will be constructed in two phases. This terminal has been designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and the construction contract has been awarded to Larsen & Toubro. In the first phase, the terminal will cater to 25 million passengers annually. Terminal 2 is estimated to cost ₹30.37 billion (US$380million).[103][104] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a shortage of manpower and resulted in delays of work, Terminal 2 is now expected to be completed by October 2022. All international flights will be operated from the new terminal.[105][106]
A third runway, north of the current runway is being planned to cater to the growth of air traffic in the airport which will be situated 1500 meters north of the current runway. Dubbed as the "New North Parallel Runway", the officials hope to ease air traffic congestion with the third runway.[107]
Statistics
Annual passenger traffic at BLR airport.
See Wikidata query.
Kempegowda Airport is connected to the city of Bangalore by National Highway 44 (NH 44). In January 2014, a six-lane flyover was completed over NH 44 between Hebbal and the airport, helping to reduce travel time to and from the city.[198][199] Two alternative routes are under construction and will be completed by March 2017, one through Thanisandra and the other through Hennur.[200] The airport car park is located at ground level and can hold 2,000 vehicles.[18] The airport is served by several taxi and rental car companies.[201] In addition, ride-sharing companies Ola Cabs and Uber have their own pick-up zones outside the terminal.[202][203]
The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) provides bus transportation to major parts of the city through the Vayu Vajra (Kannada for "Diamond in the Air") service.[204] It is operated using a fleet of Volvo B7RLE buses. In addition, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates a nonstop bus service called "Flybus" between Kempegowda Airport and Mysore, as well as a route to Manipal via Mangalore.[205]
Rail
A halt at the KIA boundary commenced operations in January 2021.[206] The train halt is connected to the airport terminal via short five-minute shuttle busses. Every day five trains from the city towards Devanahalli stop at the KIA halt and five trains head back.[207] Future plans include electrification of the route to introduce comfortable MEMU trains to the airport. MEMU trains from Mysore that terminate at Yelahanka could be extended up to Devanahalli via the KIA halt station, benefitting airport-bound passengers from Mysore, Channapatna, Ramanagaram and Bidadi.[208]
Metro
The plan to build a metro link between Bangalore and the airport with two stations at the airport was revived in 2020 and is now under construction.[209] In January 2019, Karnataka Government approved the Bangalore Airport Metro line. The project which is envisioned to link Bangalore City with the airport is under Phase 2B of Namma Metro, and is 37km long. The blue line also known as Line-5 (KR Puram-Hebbal-Kempegowda International Airport) will have 17 stations as an extension of Line-5 (ORR Line) via KR Puram, Nagawara, Hebbal And Yelahanka. The project is estimated to be completed by December 2024.[210]
There are two metro stops being built in the airport campus, one near the upcoming Airport City, which will be partly elevated and the other one in the Multi Modal Transport Hub opposite the upcoming Terminal 2. The cost of building these two stations is estimated to be Rs 800 crore. The total cost of the project is expected to be Rs14,788 Crores.[211]
To ensure last-mile connectivity for passengers, a service road will be provided around the Metro Stations in the Airport premises, for integration with BMTC buses. Plans are to build a 6m wide road.[212]
High Speed Rail Link (HSRL)
In August 2021, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai declared plans of building a High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) connecting the airport and the city. If constructed, the airport will be connected by three different railway lines: the Metro, Suburban rail and High-speed rail, making it a distinctive airport connected with all three (modes of transportation).
This is not the first time this is planned. Plans to build an HSRL was earlier planned in 2001 and was revived again in 2013, but was shelved both times due to issues in land acquisition and high costs involved.[213] More recently, the plan has been revived, as the Chief Minister believes that this has been their dream and they are going to get it done as no international airport in the world has got all three (modes of transportation).[213]
"AirAsia_India_Statement.pdf"(PDF). AirAsia India. 31 October 2016. Registered and Corporate Office Ground Floor, Alpha 3 Kempegowda International Airport Devanahalli, Bengaluru – 560300 Karnataka, India
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