For aviation ministry, no case for reopening old Bangalore airport

New Delhi: The Union civil aviation ministry has concluded after a fresh study that congestion is a problem at Bangalore’s new airport only during peak traffic hours, which does not neccesitate reopening the old city airport, a senior ministry official said.
The official, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke two days before the Karnataka high court takes up a petition to reopen the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport that has been shuttered since the night of 23 May, hours before the new facility opened.
Though a final call will be taken by the courts, there is “no case” for the old airport to be reopened, the official said, adding that the ministry had asked the airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (Bial), a consortium led by German conglomerate Siemens AG, to reinforce arrangements to handle peak-hour traffic.
Some citizens groups and companies in Bangalore have lobbied for reopening the old airport, complaining that the commute to the new airport is too long as it takes up to two hours from the city. They argue that the Union government is encouraging a private monopoly by not allowing competition for Bial.
Senior aviation ministry officials, together with those from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, met on Tuesday with Bial executives in Bangalore to discuss the new study. No consensus was reached at the meeting, the same official said.
The final study on passenger demand and capacity at the airport, conducted by AAI, has been submitted to solicitor general Goolam Vahanvati, who will present the government’s case at the hearing in the Karnataka high court, another civil aviation ministry official said.
20/08/08 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Categories: Airports Aug 2008