Jetrader - September/October 2008 - 21

DIAL Delhi International Airport (DIAL), formally Indira Gandhi International Airport, and Mumbai International Airport Ltd joined the private sector about two years ago. These actions are pivotal steps taken by India’s headstrong Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel whose other ofﬁce milestones include the streamlining of the aviation bureaucracy, merger of Indian Airlines with Air India and now the creation of state-of-the-art airﬁelds across the country, such as Bangalore International Airport (BIAL). Presently DIAL and the Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) are operating above-capacity with concerns over insufﬁcient quantities of air trafﬁc controllers and pilots. Passengers often dread connecting ﬂights out of either airport, and my experience stands as no different. I had been sitting at Jaipur (Sanganer) Airport (JAI) for what seemed like an eternity. The clock read 2:15 p.m.—odd, that’s my ﬂight departure time but I had not yet heard any sort of announcement. Once the ﬂight boarded, also unannounced, I eavesdropped upon the groans of fellow passengers who were all but optimistic about catching their connecting ﬂights at DIAL. Apparently everything from the basic organization to facility directions, information systems and airport staff were all sources of inadequacy which levied low odds in our favor. I saw for myself when our Indian Airlines aircraft parked in the nether regions of space and time thus requiring us to patiently wait 20 minutes while our other ﬂights boarded and departed. After my bus took a lengthy tour around the perimeter of DIAL at jogging speed, I was lucky enough that my bus driver was still lingering and available to personally taxi me to my (thankfully) delayed plane. Yes I made my ﬂight, but regrettably I cannot say the same for other passengers reaching their connections. Until the moment I sat in my seat it seemed as if DIAL did almost everything in its power to prevent my reaching Bangalore. located an escalator ride above the entrance. If you arrive early or become delayed, lounges such as the Oberoi exist to assuage the stress of air travel. (Outlines of storefronts remain under construction). Each airline gate is adorned with greenery and comfortable seats. The effect of the glass walls lends a luminous spatiality, which inclines one to relax and enjoy their travel experience. If all goes according to plan, BIAL will easily hold prestige among world-class airports of its type. Already I can attest it reigns superior over many airports I have traveled through in the U.S., South America, Asia and Europe. In years past, your taste for travel may have been tainted by a negative occurrence at an airport. Today, airﬁelds such as BIAL and Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (HIAL) are opening their doors to a new type of air travel. Tomorrow and ﬁve years from now, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to open 50 other similarly advanced airports to match the rapidly expanding ﬂeets of India’s airlines. Accordingly, India will become an international aviation hub and connection point. Thus the pursuant passenger ﬂow and foreign capital will subsequently support India’s own economy in the long run. Rather than fear and worry over potential problems concerning BIAL, Bangalore should welcome its arrival and instead consider the potential progress the airport can bring to its metropolis and country as a whole. Kristen Chmielewski, a volunteer intern with MiD DAY newspaper in Bangalore, Karnataka, documents India’s growing civil aviation industry. BIAL I have read of concerns voiced regarding BIAL, but if anything, Bangalore should be proud of its new, just-opened international airport. I was lucky enough to preview BIAL and was astounded to encounter such a pristine structure amidst the back roads of Devanahalli. Compared to its precursor, BIAL greets passengers with a spacious interior and ordered row of check-in counters. Abundant ﬂ at-screen TVs and clearly designated signs effortlessly eliminate confusion. In other upgrades, passengers will no longer need to queue for baggage screening and can instead proceed straight to one of two security stations ©Alex Graves/licensed under cc-by-sa-2.0 Jetrader 21

Jetrader - September/October 2008

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