BIAL Trip - reports, photos and impressions

I have to give it to them - though the airport was 99% completed, it seems to have happened it at a commendable speed. I was lucky to visit it 4-5 times during construction, and after seeing the barren piece of land in 2005, this seems to be a super fast transition.I Have to hand it over to them - its a great airport - not just looking but more importantly functionally.I am proud to be in the city it serves!

After seeing the trumpet interchange - it seems to prove my point. You need to find someone who builds with a purpose - an incentive to complete on time. Such construction put BBMPs magic boxes to shame. A haphazard narrow, badly planned underpass takes 2 months to build, while a heavy duty trumpet interchange is nearing completion in a month. It makes me question the purpose and feasibility of magic boxes.

I am sure citizens wont mind putting up with a few more months of the mess, if what was in store was more promising. The new government - god forbid, be it a citizen friendly one - must learn from this, and find ways to follow similar work flows, planning and execution methods to create a much more efficient Bangalore.

P.S - an interesting fact, the spelling option for BBMP in Ms WORD is "bumps" - man they get so accurate!

I guess i am the odd one out, i host my pictures on Picasa :(

http://picasaweb.google.c...

It isn't a jazzy airport as such. Stress has been on using spaces and a flowing functional design. With plenty of entry gates, check in counters, and security check points (scanners), you could get off the cab, and hit the departure gate quickly enough. Basically, there are no holding areas as such, you feel the space. They scan all bags once you check them in, so no annoying must-scan-bags-before-check-in queue to begin with.

But, as Naveen noted, they could have done better with either one more set of escalators to climb onto the security gates, or perhaps wider stair case that what they have. I can see some crowding happening there.

Another area which seemed a little short on space was baggage claim area. We saw three conveyor belts in the domestic area. They said it can easily be expanded if required, and they can always use the international ones for domestic flights as well. But assuming 10 flights arriving within minuts of each other, 120 passengers per plane, and 60% of them with bags, you are looking at about 700-800 people standing in that hall. Seemed a little tight to me.

About the factory look and all controversy, I think those comments are overdone. The whole big hall is lit well with natural light. Even though they have glass walls around, and glass in the roof as well, it felt hot only inside the aerobridges even though A/c wasn't on. I think the energy aspects of the building have been designed well. No glass for the sake of show off, and no artificial lighting when its not required.

8-9 aerobridges seem a little less, but their explanation is - low cost airlines prefer the cheaper option of tarmac boarding, so 8-9 is all they may require to start with. Peak concurrent handling is estimated to be 20, about half of these planes could be on the aerobridge. So the number 8-9 may be enough. May be they picked this number with expected usage in mind, but I thought aerobridges help airlines deplane and board faster so they too may prefer bridges. I notice that spicejet and Go air quite often use the bridges at HAL.

Didn't ask our hosts a lot on why they haven't gone for vertical separation of arrival/departure traffic. Answer was - what they have has been designed well for the purpose and numbers. Though I noticed that one has to walk across arrival/departure traffic to hit the car parking area, a ped bridge or underpass should have been better. I am guessing that folks have to cross over the departure traffic to walk to the arrival taxi area. Perhaps no big deal, but just a point.

They have a huge car parking area. All uncovered, but I can see enough space to easily go multi level if needed later.

They get water for the airport from BWSSB, no digging at all, and have designed whole airport area for extensive rain water harvesting.

More as and when I recall, and may correct some I may have gotten wrong above.

Pranav,

I asked Geeta the same question that you have mentioned, that is about the baggage claim area. She told me that, they are using some advanced technology for the baggage claim  and the time taken to get the baggages from the aircraft to the baggage claim belt is less than 5 minutes. She was also not sure about the time because only when in use they can measure the time. But, still I am not sure whether it can handle that many baggages in peak hour. 

She also mentioned one more thing, the peak hours for the domestic would be in the morning times and evening times and if it exceeds then they would use the middle two baggage belt that is common for both domastic and international. This was also actually a good idea.Usually most of the international traffic starts after 9 PM.

The Airport trip was fantastic and really, it was true to its name.."International"..

One thing that this airport lacks (as i feel) is a giant display board.. I think it is a must for any airport to have a giant board that can be seen from a very far off place.. And also it is a great added beautifying factor for an airport.

The futuristic looking Fire Fighter by Rosenbauer was really a surprise package as Shane had promised it to be. I have taken its video and will soon upload it.

Hi Praveen..

  Great work ... n great pictures ..I am just waiting for the report (Q & A). I wish i was there. Anyways ... you guys are the eyes to remote members like me and are defnitely doing great job.

i feel work is still going on .... and the Problem with the "Dust on the Runway" taken care.

ps* All the pictures posted by the members are Awesome .. 

thx

Loveblr

Have not had the benefit of visiting BIAL, but from a couple of visits to HIAL, it appears that the baggage belts are better at HIAL

i. Airy high-roofed area

ii. 5 belts in all

iii. Wide separation between two belts with seating area between two belts

iv. Seemed like the length of each belt was atleast 40-50 metres

v. Angular belts to prevent luggage from falling off the belt.

But , all that not withstanding, on both occasions, it took forever for the baggage to turn up, more that it normally did at Begumpet or at HAL.

First Silkboard thanks for arranging and helping me in getting in to the airport on time despite of missing the bus.!

Regarding baggage claim area, yes it is bit cramped, I was able to count 7 belts and according to the Kiran and Geetha, they have flexbility to accomodate Domestic and International traffic depending on the demand. I noticed the some set of belts  are separated by a glass partitions. in fact 3 + 2 + 2  configuration. I guess this helps them in separating the domestic and internationl traffic based on the demand.

Overall, it was an excellent trip and the aiport looks awesome.!

Rgds

Prasad

Anything that the officials stated where BARL rail link would come as per any feasibility study?

I was watching the megastructures program on NGC about Beijing International Airport which will handle around 108 flights at a time. There although rail link is delayed, station is already constructed in the airport with all the weight testing equivalent to a train on the station within airport.

Rail link contract also should have been given to BIAL at the time of construction itself which would have ended all the connectivity issues.

Naveen's comment above reminded me about a question we asked them on Sunday. We had asked if BIAL had talked directly with SWR to explore using the SWR tracks. [Those railway lines just stare at you once you cross the trumpet interchange and head towards BIA].

They said that they had, but Mithun was not willing to give any more details. I have requested for the contact details of people at SWR end they talked to. If there was any 'official or organized' discussion between BIAL and SWR about using those tracks for commute to BIAL, wonder what it would have been. BIAL investing in upgrading nearby station or sharing costs for track or coach upgrades? I am very curious to know more.

I remember than back in early 2006, there was this talk of having check-in counters at City station which implied some usage or upgrade of SWR's assets.

Hi Guys,

First of all, thanks Pranav, Praja team and BIAL for making this trip a good one. I had a fantastic time there.

And here is my set of pics. Unfortunately, I could not post all the pics because of the limited space. Anyway here is the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14073402@N08/sets/72157604417716360/

Hi

Any idea on the prospective international airlines starting operations from bangalore. Have read from press reports about making blore as hub... which are the airlines currently in negotiation with BIAL to start operations...any idea...??

Raj

The pictures are absolutely wonderful, thanks !!

I saw a small scale model of the airport city (i hope that's what it is), do we know what those buildings are?. They seem awefully close to the runways.

Also, was the ATC off limits?

Thanks Shane and admin team at Praja for arranging the trip. It was indeed a wonderful experience for all of us.

Firstly, I was very happy that more than 90% of the team members had reached the cubbon road junction at 09:00 AM. It kind of shows that our team values everybody's time.

I would narrate an incident that happened at Kuwait airport while I was on board a kuwait airlines flight to Bangalore. While the plane was just about to take off, the air hostess pulled out a huge tank full of water from the baggage cabin overhead and passenger argued that it was holy water and he wishes to retain it. I was shocked about the security at the airport considering the fact that it was such a huge airport and we all passed through so many security officials.

To put it plainly, I am not of the impression that a flamboyant facade and plush landscapes attract passengers to the airport. It is security, baggage handling, timely arrivals and departures and general hospitality shown at the airport which will attract passengers.

In all these aspects, I think BIAL has wonderful expertise and they have proved it time and again at some of the world's best airports.

Regarding the connectivity, I see that it should not be too much of an issue. Since there are lot of roads to get to bellary road from the city, I am hoping the 10 lane from mekhri circle to Hebbal-flyover gets over(atleast the land acquisition is over..phew..) and from Hebbal-flyover it is a good road till the trumphet flyover. The Trumphet Flyover work has been remarkable considering the fact that it was started five months ago and the KSRTC Bus transmit terminal would also enhance connectivity from that place.

I am of the impression that airports are away from the CBD at most big cities in the world and would congratulate BIA for the commendable job they have done to our Bengaluru.

Regarding retaining other airports, I really have some key questions. It has taken 2 hours for me to get to HAL airport too couple of times. Was everybody sleeping then? Or how about stray dogs on your runway! I agree monopoly for a particular organization is bad, but look at the service, security and hospitality. Atleast, that is what I take back from an airport.

Raj,

 Tiger Airways, Oman Air, Dragon Air (subsidary of Cathay Pacific) and Air Mauritius (code sharing with AI) will now operate from next month itself. Kingfisher/Deccan is busy with route rationalization but may start atleast one of the two long hauls from Bangalore (either BLR-SF or BLR-NY). Deccan will surely start with Gulf routes and maybe to other short international destinations.

Etihad, Singapore, Air France, Sri Lankan etc want to increase capacity.

First of all, thanks for all the time and effort to visit BIA and also to share the snaps.

One thing that straightaway looks bad to me is the height of the sign boards - its too low. The bottom of the sign boards should be atleast 7 feet from ground, so that you read the whole thing from far away, even if the place is crowded. HIAL seems to have the same issue.

The Rosenbauer Group is one of the world’s three largest manufacturers of fire-service vehicles, based in Leonding, Austria. Rosenbauer supplies the fire fighting sector in over 100 countries with a wide range of custom fire and rescue apparatus and services. It produces its extensive series of fire fighting vehicles and aerials in three continents, to both European and US Standards. This Video is a Demonstration at the Hong Kong Airport, I assume this is what BIAL can offer in terms of safety too.

(Link to the video)

Praveen Sundaram AkA PhotoYogi

Hi,

Does BIAL have overnight car parking lot?? - like the one in many international airports where I park today and come back from travel and take my car after 2 or 3 days?

Awesome post..

 It should actually be everywhere - in the terminal and if possible outside too.. It can be appropriate in any large walk way to have murals and local art to give local artisans a place to display art and promote our rich culture.

 Adding to this - I was just wondering Bangalore is a modern city with many modern art enthusiasts.. can we get some metal sculptures and hang them from ceiling like a museum... The airport also can boast of an art and heritage museum to generate more revenue.. - Just a thought

Thats a blow! Phew.. well I think BIAL has to restrict anysuch plasterings on the airside and let it be the way it is - open glass for every passenger to watch the planes take off land and other activities.. I h ave not seen the airport in person - but I am hoping such a thing will not happen :)

thats Seamus Heaney in Logan Airport, boston...

we can have such nice sayings of great ppl.. one of the options is to have kinetic murals..

something that people might want to associate bangalore and BIA with..something whom everyone might want to take a snap with to remeber!

There was a early design for BAIL with rangoli patterns on the floor..that was actually neat ..but was shot down by praful patel..citing 'international look' 

Something that can be done in the near term, as "santsub" proposes above, is to have Metal sculptings and other designer (or abstract art) pieces hanging from the ceiling or near less used areas to provide a contemporary look, while local artefacts should be given as much representation as possible. For ex: The entrance to the parking lot/Stroll area could have a stone arch which is a replica of many found in Hampi or Belur/Halebid.
This way the Minister is also kept appeased and the locals as well.

They have given space to KSTDC in arrival area (I asked them, they pointed to a counter in arrival area). But I was not sure if that was paid space or concessional. I did ask though on if they are providing concessional advertising space to promote Karnataka tourism to put up inviting banners with pictures like tarle has showcased from flickr in a comment above. They said that whenever any advertising space would go empty, their would fill that with tourism promoting banners (space for KSTDC I assume). But I wonder if they will have empty/unsold ad banner space on a regular basis.

About KSTDC cabs - I am sure you know by now that we wont have HAL style pre-paid cab counter at BIAL. They said KSTDC wasn't willing to meet their standards of cab service (safety - mandatory seat belts, gps in all cabs). This has been a controversial topic so far, so didn't ask them a lot more questions on this, and Kiran smartly brushed some questions aside by commenting that BIAL's focus is more to get people to reach airport using public transport.

I was talking to a KSTDC union guy  recently and he said that KSTDC can always run cabs to a point till the trumpet interchange on NH7, right near where BIAL will pick up people via their NH7 to BIA shuttles. I asked Kiran (BIAL PR gentleman who showed us around and answered most questions) if they could actually do this, the answer was yes. My take is that if there is demand for cheaper cab services without caring for  standards (caring only for cost), something like this could indeed come up. IT depends on how good BMTC's BIA bus services will be. Rs 150 vs around Rs 1000 or more, well you know what cost conscious passengers will do. But still, arriving passengers could still need something in between high fare cabs and public transport - a segment KSTDC cabs could fill in. Anyway, lets see, we will sure hear more on the subject soon.

One last comment on looks, I may not have said it clear enough in my earlier comments. The airport looks good, though its not been done in any jazzy fashion. Natural lighting, nice use of glass in walls as well as ceilings. There are no curves, colors or fountains thrown at you at entrance or anywhere else. There are no fancy metal trusses to look at on the high ceilings. But it doesn't look boring or factory like, definitely not. All other comments here say the same thing, bottom line, it looked elegant and modern.

I also asked if there were any design elements aimed at growing the airport as a transit place (aka hub) for international traffic as well. Answer wasn't more no than yes. But I notice in the floor map leaflet (which one of us would scan and upload ASAP, sorry for the delay) that there is provision for passengers to enter to international dparture area upon arrival via a 'transit way'.

Who says KSTDC cabs are inexpensive. They are a rip-off. If you take a pre-

paid KSTDC cab from HAL, the per-KM fare works out to approximately Rs. 22/- when compared to Rs. 12/- for a city taxi and the Rs. 15/- that Meru and Easy Cabs are going to be charging.  

Hi

The interior of the new Bangalore airport terminal is impressive indeed and  definitely much better than the poor infrastructure we have had for decades. But, I have seen a number of questions raised regarding different aspects. I would like to share my thoughts about some of those

1) baggage claim conveyer - Questions have been raised about this and whether it was cost savings. One has to understand that this type of baggage system is called direct feed where it is one long conveyer moving circularly with a portion of it on the air side of the terminal where the baggage is loaded onto the conveyer belt. This is the simplest and cost effective solution requiring less maintenance but one major disadvantage is that baggages often fall off.

The other system is called a remote feed which you see in terminals like Los Angeles Int.(LAX), the new Hyderabad airport and elsewhere. The costs increase because a set of conveyer belts bring luggage all the way from the air side baggage handling area and drop it on to the sloping conveyer system(seen in Hyd.Airport photos) in the passenger terminal. This is more difficult and expensive to maintain & operate.
The advantage to this type of system is that baggage rarely falls off(you will have to go look at one to see why).

So, I definitely see cost cutting being done here.

2) dual level (exterior&interior) separation for arrival and departure - I don't buy the story of local demographics. Obviously a completely dual level (building and elevated flyover for the departures) is much costlier than the current option of a big building with a semi dual level on the interior and exterior single level; so BIALhas definitely done cost cutting. In fact, for the demographics of India, considering the population size an  land being a premium resource it would make sense getting double the capacity from the existing building length given that arrivals and departure would be completely stacked one above the other in the same given area of land.

India being notrious for absense of law enforcecement & lack of traffic discipline, imagine the havoc that would start with mixing traffic, people walking around etc. Once the multi storey car park was built it would have been a matter of linking it with a skybridge to the terminal.

And, let's not forget that an airport with aerobridges cannot be built with a completely single level in the interior; they have to match the height of the aircraft so BIAL has not done anybody a favour by having an upper level in the terminal building. I see that BIAL has done cost cutting here too.

This is one point which I haven't seen being discussed, so please throw some light -

1) I am concerned that there are just two entry points to the departure area after checkin. One set of escalators at each end of the terminal. From the pictures I could not gauge at what point the security check post will be after the escalators. If it is a short distance from where the escalators end then we are looking at a potential problem where during peak hours the queues would extend till the escalators, then all the way down into the checkin hall. In this case I really hope that there are procedures in place to stop the escalators before the queue reaches that point, otherwise it is a safety issue with people coming off the escalator at the top & hitting people standing in the front.

I will be posting more concerns/comments once I actually fly through the airport.

Hi bialterminal

I agree with you about the lack of vertical separation for Arrivals and Departures. Combined with the fact that they have not segregated the domestic and international pax too, I can envisage chaos here. Specially at the entry / dropoff points to the terminal. Lets wait & see how it pans. That's the only concern that I have, after the tour.

My perception about baggage claim carousels is different. I have seen in heathrow and other airports where they have angular carousels a la Hyderabad and have seen luggage falling off. May be aesthetically better to look at, but nothing beyond that. Given the more complicated loading of the luggage in the airport entrails, I feel its no big deal. The concerns about low ceiling etc., expressed by others also may not not be too relevant, as its a centrally airconditioned airport and passengers are more worried about grabbing their luggage and exiting. Its quite spacious.

I did mention to Geetha at the airport about the presence of only two sets of escalators at the departure lounge. Actually, I think its a set of two at each end, with a staircase in-between the escalators, though am not certain about the far end, as I did not go there. The scramble in airports is usually at check-in. After that people tend to relax. At the first floor, there is enough space between the security check gates and the railing for about 30 people to stand in queue. Also, there are 8 security gates for domestic alone, if I recall right. So, should be able to clear reasonable crowds quickly.

Madhu

We are discussing more about the passengers who want to get into the airport and not much on the passengers who want to get out of the airport to their destination.  Are we neglecting this part :-)

There should be a couple of LCD screens dedicated to the BUS service ( volvo and the regular) inside the terminal for the Passengers on Arrival so that they can buy tickets at 3 to 4 counters. These LCD screens can be used to display the route, destination and time of departure and time taken to reach the important parts of the city so that the passengers can benefit. 

I agree with tarlesubba about the display of artwork that symbolises the city/ state. It would have been really nice if these things were to be incorporated in the interior and exterior design of the airport.

Hurry Home

The Sage

BIAL is capable of handling A380 - only if they expand the width of the runway - the length is 4000 mtrs but I remember Albert Brunner had made a statement that by increasing the width from current 60 mtrs to 75 meters.

What I dont understand is why did they get stingy in building a wider runway in the first go... thanks for bringing this up... BIAL proposes to expand it to 79.8 mtrs wide.

Again the question of how did it cost our beloved BIAL 2500Crs for this airport?? HIAL has already made it A380 ready.

Hi Madhu_nr

I completely agree with you on the baggage carousels. I personally don't care which way it is as long as there is enough space for people to stand and there is enough space on all the carousels for the luggage. Since there were questions raised about cost cutting I was throwing some light on how the 2 systems are different and made an observation that it was cost cutting. So long as it is functional there is nothing wrong in picking a cost effective solution that is reliable and does the job efficiently. Once again, as I mentioned before, the interior looks of airport are fabulous (beauty lies in the eye of the beholder :-) ).

Awesome - looks good - hope they will use some local and modern art inside the terminal to decorate it. But its cool.

Photoyogi Sir, Thumba thanks for the press kit photoes.

The photoes has nice glimpse of parking area in detail. Looks like the parking surface has been finished with bricks. Wiil the surface last the weather and wear and tear of the vehicle usage?

Wonderful pics.

The departures information screen: Its difficult to identify some of the airline names from their logos on the screen- i think it was a bad idea to have the logos(its only fashonable but not practical in my opinion). They are distracting(from the rest of the screen when you view the whole screen at once), and some of them not so clear. I prefer they were just text like the rest of the info on the screen which are crisp and clear.

Bigger screens would have been good- i hope they have atleast one big screen somewhere in the building after checkin.

I think i've read somewhere that they plan 20 flights per hour to start with- perhaps that will suit all the optimal rates you have given. Pls correct me if am wrong.

Your concern about lights on the highway requires to be brought to the attention of the Govt Authorities and also the NEWSPAPERS and BIAL for they can coax the authorities as well.

Have they made any arrangements at the airport for an Indian Postal Service counter?? I was at the ATL airport yesterday and had to send mails. Thats when it struck to me we never thought of this at BIAL what if flyers want to mail something or get stamps or postcards?? some good revenue for the postal dept and also a chance for them to brush up on their people handling and aesthetic skills...

Photoyoginaware,

Many thanks for uploading the pictures - these are inter-locking pavers, similar to the ones used on driveways - which should last quite some time.

I personally think that the new HIA (Hyderabad International Airport) has beaten BIA (Bangalore International Airport) hands down. Again, this is just by looking at the pictures and using that in the context of my experience of having travelled to other international airports. 

http://picasaweb.google.com/keeper.store/NewHyderabadAirport

Not only the vertical separation, but also but also notice the ample space at each level available for pick up/drop off/waiting etc. Also, they have 12 aerobridges. Just 3 more, but definitely more than BIAL. Has anybody visited both HIAL & BIAL? If so please share you feedback and what lessons can be learnt from HIAL if it is superior indeed as it appears in the pictures.

I am trying to enlist the good-to-have features that some of us have proposed in the comments made on the original posting for the benefit of others and concerned persons at BIAL.
Some of these might already be present, but may not be announced just yet,

1. Accomodate murals, paintings, sculptings related to History and Culture of Karnataka inside and outisde the terminal, to promote understanding and tourism
2. Integrate public transport information(BMTC/KSRTC) systems into BIAL's information systems to guide passengers who do not want or cannot afford BIAL's cab services, self-drive services
3. Post, Courier and mobile rental services for terminal users
4. Coin phone and credit card intn'l calling phone booths
5. Play area for children
6. Baggage storage facilities for back-packers, short term visitors
7. FOREX and travel insurance counters
...

TS, in olden days, during metre guage era of Bangalore-Mysore railways, there were two trains - Tippu and Cauvery Express. These metre guage trains were primarily built to attract tourists had pictures of all the tourist attractions of Karnataka every 2 chairs. These trains were introduced by Kengal Hanumanthaiah when he was railway minister. 

Now, these pictures needs to be introduced all over airport with the help of a neat interior decorator as well as the Vayu Vajra buses.

Vasanth,

There were also the Nandi and Chamundi express in the MG days -no?

Srivathsa

saar nothing about looks..what I was quoting was both HIAL and BIAL have tried to make cost effective structures..we went with 'factory look' and they went with membranes..

the problem with tension membranes, for all the advantages it provides, is that its hopeless in a fire..it completely evaporates..though some are fire retardant! and can it survive a cyclone/high winds as well?

Hi TS,

The first photo of the exchange (above) is looking at it from the airport side. The far wall is the entry loop (ramp) from Bangalore city side for traffic going to the airport.

You can see it in photo 2 as the umbrella handle part of the loop.

The third photo appears to have been shot when the bus was on the ramp from the Devanahalli side. Actually, the bus did not take the ramp from Bangalore side when going to airport, since according to Mithun (BIAL) some work on retaining walls etc was still in progress on that ramp. We passed under the interchange towards D'halli, took a U-turn further up and entered the interchange from that side. 

Madhu

This is in response to

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KSTDC rip off + Bombay new terminal 1B

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Good to know this. How good is law enforcement to make drivers not to block through lanes and prevent people from parking for a longer time than necessary?

Here in LAX (and other airports) if you park and not actively loading/unloading passengers/luggage you are pulled over by the police and ticketed.