Connectivity tops new Hyderabad airport agenda

Hyderabad: With the deadline for commercial operations looming large over the minds of Hyderabad International Airport Limited (HIAL) officials, connectivity has pretty much become one of the key issues dominating their minds.
Since January, protests about the airport's distance, inconvenience and bad roads en-route have taken up a lot of local attention.
However, whether the locals like it or not, from the morning of March 16, the residents of the city will have no choice but to do the journey and it's with this in mind that HIAL - with the support of the state government - is looking at various ways to ease the pain.
To start with, the new airport will have a transportation hub (there will be a free shuttle between the main terminal building and this hub leaving at regular intervals).
From the hub, the time sensitive passengers can hire a radio cab and go to any part of the city at a rate of Rs 15 per kilometre. There will be close to 1,000 GPS-enabled taxis (if it breaks down it can be located and the passengers picked up).
The price sensitive passengers can take one of the 125 air conditioned coaches (to start with 45) which will go to roughly 15 designated city locations (to start with only seven to eight will be operational).
There will be a standalone airport shuttle bus stand. The fare is to be under Rs 100 per trip, though will vary depending on the location. The buses will leave every 15 minutes in peak time and 30 minutes in non-peak time.
The vehicles will come equipped with GPS and Wi-Fi, to enable one to work while travelling; a small pantry will offer some basic refreshments.
13/02/08 Anjuli Bhargava/Business Standard

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: airports Feb 2008, New Feb 2008