45 pc work on B'lore international airport completed

Bangalore, Dec 20 (UNI) About 45 per cent of the work on Bangalore international airport, India's largest greenfield airport at Devanahalli, about 35 km from here, has been completed.

Disclosing this to a group of visiting newspersons at the construction site, Bangalore International Airport Limited Chief Executive Officer Albert Brunner said work was progressing as per schedule at the terminal building since the work started 17 months ago and had reached roof level in some portions. Approximately, 23 per cent of the roof elements had been completed and the airport would begin commercial operation in April 2008, he added.

He said work on the 4,000-m-long and 45-m-wide runway was rapidly progressing. Asphalting work on the runway and laying of final top pavement quality concrete had commenced in the apron area.

Construction work at the Air Traffic Control tower and other auxiliary buildings was nearing completion. All services works had commenced in the auxiliary buildings, he added.

On the manufacturing front, Mr Brunner said part of the passenger boarding bridges and the equipment for baggage handling was nearing completion, while other works such as manufacturing of the central air conditioning equipment, apron flood light masts and fixture of electrical poles for urban lighting continued to progress.

He said the airport, on completion, would have key features such as apron stands for 42 code C aircraft, terminal building with a capacity to handle 11.5 million passengers, facility to transfer between international and domestic terminals within the building, car park facility for 2,000 cars, adequate shopping facilities and a five star hotel with 321 rooms near the terminal.

He said BIAL had a head count of 56 now and it would go up to more than 350 by the end of 2007.

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