Airports

The operators of the Bengaluru international airport (BIA), Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), have announced a massive expansion of the existing terminal 1 which is expected to commence almost immediately, cost about Rs. 1,000 Crore (approx $222 million) and complete in about 18 months time. Outline of existing terminal indicates the scope of expansion. Click on image for high res. …

Even during the current economic slowdown and it’s resultant impact on premium air travel, Lufthansa is continuing it’s ongoing investment in lounges. It recently opened the Lufthansa Senator Lounge at Munich. With the Munich lounge, Lufthansa now offers a complete end to end premium experience for passengers on its recently launched all business class Mumbai Munich service. The new lounge …

Thanks to rampant encroachment, over one-third of one of Asia’s longest and best runways, 11-29 at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport cannot be used. At any airport, two measurements are crucial for pilots for every runway. Landing Distance Available (LDA) and Take Off Run Available i.e. how much of the runway length is actually usable for flight operations. The …

I received call earlier this evening from the news media soliciting my reactions to the news that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has proposed to the Union Government the renaming of the Bengaluru International Airport, after the founder founder of Bangalore, Kempegowda. The name of an airport may not mean much, but I am happy and thankful that the airport is …

Passengers departing from Bengaluru International Airport can enjoy wireless internet access. Inside the terminal, using your GSM cell phone, send an SMS “WIFI BIAL” to 56677 and you will receive the wi-fi password on your cellphone. The speed is quite decent. Alternately in the departure hall, fire up your laptop, switch on your wi-fi, open your browser and follow the …

About 40 days ago, I had raised the issue of a “Sanity Check” on the proposed High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) to Bengaluru International Airport. The issues I raised were : Sanity Check 1: Who is the target customer of the HSRL ? Sanity Check 2: Convenience Sanity Check 3: Close integration with Namma Metro and BMTC Sanity Check 4: …

I have been a dog-lover since childhood. I grew up with Silky, a Lhasa Apso, Snooty and Growler, two Spitzes. In the US, Keesha, a Keeshound kept me company. Today our family includes two Champions, Brandy, an Irish Setter, and Isis, the only female Giant Schnauzer in India. I flew with Isis from the USA to Bangalore HAL airport, without …

On Friday, 20-June-2008, I took a flight out of BIAL airport. As my pictorial essay shows, the hard work, by the stake holders at BIAL, is showing results, in the form of significant improvements.Getting to the airport While the distance to the new airport is significant, I have always maintained that connectivity to the airport was not a major problem. …

I am an angry Bangalorean today. For two months, we have been hearing stories as to how the new Bengaluru International Airport was FULLY ready, and that the Government was denying the BIAL permission to commence operations of its new airport, thus causing untold losses to the consortium. Looking to prevent a repeat of the fiasco following the launch of …

December 2008 update. For updated and detailed BMTC Vayu Vajra Volvo airport bus and taxi information, click on the BIA Bus & taxi link on the top menu. For real time flight arrivals and flight departures information use the respective links on the top menu bar or the Real time Flightstats widget at the bottom of the “Recommended Articles” section …

The new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) will be opened on May 11, 2008. The Election Commission may not have permitted any festivities and gala celebrations, but then, we Bangaloreans, are more interested in the long overdue additional capacity of the new airport. Various government agencies are busy upgrading or creating roads, to improve access to the airport for the expected …