Smooth landing, perfect takeoff

Bangalore:The long wait is finally over. Bangalore's flagship project and symbol of its emergence as a global destination, the Devanahalli-based Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), is now commercially operational.
Signalling its entry into the high list of world-class international aerodromes, an Air India flight (IC 957) took off to Singapore at 12:05 am. “It is a very happy moment. It’s a really lovely evening for all of us who have been working for many years to create this world class airport,” declared a visibly relieved Albert Brunner, CEO of the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL).
Before the first take-off, an Indian Airlines flight (IC609) from Mumbai touched down at the airport at 10:40 pm. on Friday. But even before this IA flight, a Deccan ferry flight landed at the airport after dropping off passengers at the HAL Airport. As many as 11 flights were to land on the brand-new runway of the Devanahalli-based airport, a dream project that was in the making for 17 long years. But all the flights barring the Indian Airlines flight were delayed.
In fact, the Jet Airways flight (9W477) from Mumbai, scheduled as the first aircraft to land at the new airport, touched down at the HAL Airport instead.
The first landing later signalled a decisive shift in commercial operations from the HAL Airport to the new airport. But the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the HAL Airport is expected to constantly monitor the BIA operations for at least a month as a precautionary measure.
Besides the passengers who were to take the first flight to Singapore at 12:05 am, the new airport had several hundred Bangaloreans outside its terminals eager to be part of the landmark event.
Also waiting were people ready to receive their near and dear ones on the 11 scheduled arrivals: Three Jet Airways flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad, an Indian Airlines flight from Mumbai, two Air India flights from Kolkata and Delhi, two Indigo flights from Delhi and Nagpur.
Among the expected arrivals before midnight were also a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok, a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur and an Air France flight from Paris.
24/05/08 Deccan Herald

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Categories: Airports May 2008, New May 2008