Software firms lobby for two airports in Bangalore

Software companies have made out a case for continuation of civil aviation operations at the existing HAL airport in Bangalore even after the proposed international airport at Devanahalli on the outskirts of the City becomes functional in April next year.

A delegation of chiefs of software companies led President of National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) Kiran Karnik put forward a collective demand in the regard in front of Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy during a breakfast meeting in Bangalore.

With the proposed international airport coming up at Devanahalli, about 35 kms away from Bangalore, the software industry captains urged the Government to spare the air passengers the 35-km drive through traffic-choked roads of Bangalore.

However, according to an agreement between the airport builders’ consortium – Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) – and the Federal Government, civil aviation operations from the existing HAL airport have to cease once the new international airport is in place.

But, the captains of the software industry urged Kumaraswamy to prevail upon the Federal Ministry for Civil Aviations to continue with operation of at least domestic flights from the HAL airport.

“It does not make sense for a person to drive two hours to reach an airport and then take a one-hour flight”, Director of Human Resources at Infosys Mohandas Pai told reporters later. Retaining the HAL airport for short-haul flights will not only ease the pressure of the new airport, but also ensure easy flow of traffic, he said and added that a group of domestic carriers had also endorsed the idea of continuing operations even from the existing airport.

The Chief Minister looked into the proposal, but did not give any assurance to the software industry in the regard.

The existing airport belonging to HAL, a Government undertaking, presently handles over 165 flights a day, including several international flights. More than seven million passengers had used the Bangalore airport during the calendar year 2006, according to HAL authorities.