Doubts over Bangalore International airport’s take-off date

Serious doubts have arisen over Bangalore International Airport’s scheduled launch of commercial flight operations on March 30 in view of the safety concerns raised over an incomplete Air Traffic Control (ATC) facility.

The uncertainty over operationalizing the country’s first Greenfield airport established at Devanahalli about 35 kms from Bangalore was raised after an onsite inspection by senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) when flight trials were held at the airport recently.

“Right now, March 30 is still not the absolute date for launch of flight services”, Secretary of Federal Ministry of Civil Aviation Ashok Chawla told reporters after a two-day stay in Bangalore. “We still have not taken a final decision as we need to have a clear picture. We may take a decision either on Monday or Tuesday after holding further discussions in New Delhi”, he said.

According to officials monitoring the progress of work at the new airport, the imported ATC equipment and radar landed only in February almost three months behind schedule. The delayed arrival has given AAI staff very little time for onsite familiarization.

The AAI staff requires at least four weeks time to test, calibrate and synchronize the equipment before keeping the instruments in hot stand-by mode for 42 days or 1,000 hours before the airport can be operationalized, the officials said.

Senior air traffic controllers at the airport are understood to have told the senior officials that it would be “unsafe” to launch flight services at the airport by March 30 as scheduled.

Chawla admitted that the ATC issue was the main reason behind the Federal Ministry of Civil Aviation’s decision to review the launch date. “If there is a need to postpone the airport’s launch, the Government will try to sort out the matter as early as possible, so that the plans of the airport developers are not affected while also ensuring that all regulations for opening of a new airport are met”, Chawla said.

The new airport being developed by Siemens-Unique Zurich Airport- L and T Consortium is yet to receive the operators’ license. For that, the DGCA has given the developer a list of 59 items for compliance. Almost 10 of the conditions are yet to met, officials said.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) Albert Brunner told reporters that ATC does not fall under its ambit. “AAI is responsible for air traffic management. I don’t install it”, he said when his attention was drawn to the incomplete ATC facility at the new airport.