Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), as part of its ongoing commitment to operational excellence and safety, has announced a plan for the upgradation of its runway. The upgradation work will be carried out in a phased manner in certain parts, involving closure of the runway, and in other parts, partial closure of facilities without any impact on airport operations. The closure will be applicable between 10.30 am to 5.00 pm from February 19, 2017 to April 30, 2017. The balance activities will be carried out subsequently, with minimal impact to airport operations. In early February the runway will be closed for the rehearsals and show timings for the Aero India 2017. The closure of the runway for the upgradation work has been planned and aligned to this so as to commence work during this period.
These works have been necessitated in order to support the growing air traffic at the Bengaluru Airport. The runway upgradation will include building of two Rapid Exit Taxiways (RET) to increase runway capacity. Currently, the runway has the capability of handling 38 air traffic movements (ATM) per hour, the additional RETs could increase the ATM capacity to 48 per hour.
In order to enhance the capacity of the runway, BIAL has decided to go ahead with the building of two Rapid Exit Taxiways during the above period, so as 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 and the Minister of Civil Aviation (MoCA).
A joint working group constituted by MoCA appointed leading global consultants to study the Bengaluru Airspace and recommend improvements. The construction of the Rapid Exit Taxiways is being conducted on the basis of their recommendation. BIAL has taken into view the long-term benefit of increased capacity for the upcoming seasons till the second runway becomes available. The second runway will be ready for operations by September 2019.
In close coordination with the Air Traffic Control, efforts are in place to enhance the flight handling capacity in the hours preceding and following the closure each day during this period, so as to allow airlines optimum usage of the available time. BIAL has also taken proactive efforts to ensure that any discomfort caused as a result of this closure remains minimal. All airlines were informed before the schedule was finalised for the season in order to avoid last minute flight cancellations.
