Embarking on a major upgrade, the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) runway will be partially closed between 10.30 am and 5 pm from February 19, 2017 to April 30, 2017. Passengers taking day-time flights are likely to be inconvenienced during the shutdown period.
The upgrading work, according to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), will be carried out in a phased manner in certain parts. Besides the runway, the work will also involve partial closure of other facilities.
In early February, the runway will be closed for the rehearsals and show timings for the biennial aerospace exposition, Aero India 2017.
The BIAL maintained that the upgrading was required to support the growing air traffic at the airport. "The runway upgradation will include building of two Rapid Exit Taxiways (RET) to increase runway capacity. Currently, the runway has the capability to handle 38 air traffic movements (ATMs) per hour. The additional RETs could increase the ATM capacity to 48 per hour," the airport operator said.
The RETs have to be built to enhance the runway's capacity. The construction period was chosen to complete the activity before the onset of monsoons in May. "This decision has been arrived at in consultation with all its key stakeholders including domestic and international airlines, Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA)."
A joint working group constituted by MoCA had appointed leading global consultants to study the Bengaluru airspace and recommend improvements. "The construction of the RETs is being conducted on the basis of their recommendation," a BIAL statement said. The runway upgrade work is expected to meet the increased capacity demands for the upcoming seasons till a second runway becomes available. The BIAL maintained that the second runway will be ready for operations by September 2019.
Enhanced flight handling
To allow airlines optimum usage of the available time during the closure days, flight handling capacity will be enhanced in the hours preceding and following the closure each day. This, the BIAL said, will be done in close coordination with the ATC. "All airlines were informed before the schedule was finalised for the season in order to avoid last minute flight cancellations."
Passengers flying out of the airport before and after the closure hours could face increased commute times. The BIAL authorities said ancillary support from airport taxi and bus service providers will be aligned to accommodate the increased traffic on main airport road. To alert passengers about the changes in airport operations during the closure period, information will be made available on the website www.bengaluruairport.com and on the Twitter handle @BLRAirport.
Embarking on a major upgrade, the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) runway will be partially closed between 10.30 am and 5 pm from February 19, 2017 to April 30, 2017. Passengers taking day-time flights are likely to be inconvenienced during the shutdown period.
The upgrading work, according to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), will be carried out in a phased manner in certain parts. Besides the runway, the work will also involve partial closure of other facilities.
In early February, the runway will be closed for the rehearsals and show timings for the biennial aerospace exposition, Aero India 2017.
The BIAL maintained that the upgrading was required to support the growing air traffic at the airport. "The runway upgradation will include building of two Rapid Exit Taxiways (RET) to increase runway capacity. Currently, the runway has the capability to handle 38 air traffic movements (ATMs) per hour. The additional RETs could increase the ATM capacity to 48 per hour,” the airport operator said.
The RETs have to be built to enhance the runway’s capacity. The construction period was chosen to complete the activity before the onset of monsoons in May. "This decision has been arrived at in consultation with all its key stakeholders including domestic and international airlines, Air Traffic Control (ATC) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA).”
A joint working group constituted by MoCA had appointed leading global consultants to study the Bengaluru airspace and recommend improvements. "The construction of the RETs is being conducted on the basis of their recommendation,” a BIAL statement said. The runway upgrade work is expected to meet the increased capacity demands for the upcoming seasons till a second runway becomes available. The BIAL maintained that the second runway will be ready for operations by September 2019.
Enhanced flight handling
To allow airlines optimum usage of the available time during the closure days, flight handling capacity will be enhanced in the hours preceding and following the closure each day. This, the BIAL said, will be done in close coordination with the ATC. "All airlines were informed before the schedule was finalised for the season in order to avoid last minute flight cancellations.”
Passengers flying out of the airport before and after the closure hours could face increased commute times. The BIAL authorities said ancillary support from airport taxi and bus service providers will be aligned to accommodate the increased traffic on main airport road. To alert passengers about the changes in airport operations during the closure period, information will be made available on the website www.bengaluruairport.com and on the Twitter handle @BLRAirport.
