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It appears that Mr. Brunner and members of his team have listened to the pleas of Bangalore.

They have been on-site, getting things fixed, apologising and comforting passengers, putting pressure on their ground handling agents, and other sub-concessionaires to get in to shape.

Ever so slowly things are falling in to place. Airlines are reporting smoother operations by and large. Today, there was a major IT systems glitch that forced everything to go to manual, from boarding pass to the actual boarding. But, from all reports, despite this one step backwards, two steps have been taken forward. There is light at the end of the tunnel that these initial teething problems will be resolved.

Thank you to all the workers at BIAL.

One issue that cannot be addressed by BIAL, is the tentativeness, of the AAI run, Air Traffic Control. Despite Bangalore being the third busiest airport in India, AAI has not deployed experienced controllers from the Tier 1 cities, but instead it has chosen to, from Tier 2, and smaller cities. These new controllers, till now, probably controlled less flights in a day, than they do at Bangalore, in an hour.

The ATC at HAL, had even suggested to AAI, that the new controllers spend time at the HAL ATC to become familiar with the traffic conditions and patterns at Bangalore, and build up their confidence. Call it ego, call it apathy, AAI chose not to.

Now all the passengers, airlines, BIAL are suffering due to this tentativeness. AAI should deploy at least 10 controllers from its top tier 1 ATC (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai) on a war footing at Bangalore, if the situation is to be salvaged.

A situation that is within BIAL's control, and I beg, to be addressed on priority, is the whole Cargo area. I have posted pictures in an earlier article, and its is shameful. Bangalore needs a fully functional airport, and I know BIAL can deliver; if only they put their mind to it.

A picture is worth a thousand words. So I will let the images do the talking of my visit to BIAL on May 28, 2008.

While much is said about the passenger terminal building and the passenger experience, the support facilities are in a sorry shape, and partly explain the problems, plaguing the passenger terminal.

The cargo terminal building of Air India - Singapore Airport Terminal Services (AI-SATS) is an unmitigated disaster. How Customs authorities permitted a warehouse, that is at least 2 months away from even basic inhabitation, to function as a high security bonded warehouse, is a mystery.

What is even more sad, is that fact that SATS is renowned for it good service, and is a subsidiary of the world famous Singapore Airlines, of whom, I am still a very loyal customer. It appears they were pressed in to commencing operations before they were ready. This is an answer the BIAL management, and the Indian Customs Authorities in Bangalore should answer.

AI-SATS Cargo terminal serves the following airlines :

• Air India
• Indian Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Jet Airways
• Malaysian Airlines
• Emirates
• Etihad
• Dragon Air (subsidiary of Cathay Pacific)

The incomplete cargo village meant to house cargo and customs agents. Right now they are working by the roadside.

The building meant to house the airlines' staff. Right now they are having to "make do" in the BIAL administrative building (in white to the left).

Traffic congestion just to enter the passenger terminal building. Given the lack of self control of Bangalore driver, note the lack of any police or security guards to control the traffic, and signs to guide visitors to the correct lane. (The left lanes are meant for the 10 minute pick-up /drop-off).

Police, Army, and other government vehicles "hogging" the parking space in the pick-up / drop-off lanes, adding to the congestion. Of course, the 10 minute rule does not apply to them, only us poor souls who actually pay for using the airport.

A temporary shed, serving as the airport staff canteen, opposite the BIAL office, about 500 meters west of the Passenger Terminal Building. I have said before, if we do not ensure the comfort, of those who ensure our comfort and safety, we are heading for a systemic failure.

The narrow service road leading from the passenger terminal building to all the service and auxiliary buildings (BIAL administrative offices, airline offices, flight kitchens, cargo terminal buildings (CTBs), fuel farm). It was completely choked. It took me 30 minutes to travel the 2 km.

In the absence of any public toilet facilities in the auxiliary buildings, employees and workers at the airport, have to "make do", with an Indian touch to the International airport.

The narrow service road is completely jammed. It took me about 30 minutes to travel 2 km from the PTB to the CTB. There is no alternate road. I saw works of ground handling agents AI-SATS, getting off their shuttle bus, and running the 1 km to the terminal, in order to report to work on time. This narrow service road cannot handle the all vehicles. It is having unintended consequences on passenger operations since the flight kitchens, airport and airline offices are all on this service road.

Due to overloading of the cargo warehouse parking, and the lack of any policing or security control, vehicles are parked haphazardly, encroaching upon the already narrow service road.

Absolutely mayhem on the road with no policing or security to control the chaos.

Export cargo dumped outside the AI-SATS Cargo Terminal Building (CTB) in the rain.

More cargo just lying already soaked in the rain. Notice all the civil construction in progress, and the cargo and customs agents having to use boxes and cartons as tables for work.

Zinc sheets and flapping plastic making up a temporary wall, of what is supposed to be the AI-SATS Customs bonded "high security" warehouse. Customs is required to grant permission, only after a thorough inspection.

Workers on the roof of the AI-SATS warehouse. Welding was being done directly overhead the cargo. The roof is incomplete and this is the rainy season.

A temporary and naked heavy electrical outlet, with valuable cargo just dumped all around it. A major fire and safety risk.

Valuable export cargo, damaged by poor handling and storage before it is has even left our city.

Over 70% of the floor space of the AI-SATS warehouse is being used to store building construction materials. Welding is being done, right next to cargo. Due to sheer un-preparedness, over 100 tons of cargo is lying outside the warehouse on the tarmac waiting to be brought in. What cargo was brought in, is just haphazardly dumped all around, and is not traceable. Both the Menzies and AI-SATS warehouses are badly understaffed. Cargo agents, and even airlines' managers were seen trying to help AI-SATS locate cargo to pacify irate importers and agents.

An high view of the choked service road. BIAL has blocked the entrance to the service road on the fuel farm side, without notice or explanation to any of the operators, adding to everyone's misery. Over 50 tons of export cargo in still on trucks, LCVs and lorries, waiting for the last 24 hours to enter the warehouse to unload cargo.

Another view of the choked service road. Observe the incomplete civil construction of the AI-SATS terminal.

Sandhya Ravishankar / CNN-IBN

Tue, May 27, 2008 at 13:13 in Nation section

MISSING IN ACTION: Minutes before departure, the crew of Indian said the plane couldn't be located.

Bangalore: You have heard of planes going missing in flight, but have you heard of a jet going missing at the airport? That's exactly what happened at the new Bangalore International Airport on Monday.

Passengers at the newly opened Bangalore International Airport were in for a rude shock when the plane they were supposed to be flying in went missing!

They were waiting to board Indian flight IC915 to Hyderabad, but just fifteen minutes before departure, airline staff could not locate the plane. Indian's crew then went hunting for the craft for 45 minutes.

One of the waiting passengers, Dr Ramesh said, "Just opening new airports is not enough. One needs people and systems in place. They made us wait for a good two hours for the ticket and then in the queue and then suddenly the signboard said the flight had departed."

As angry passengers demaded to know if the flight had actually left, the hapless Indian staff had no answers.

Adding to the confusion, Air Traffic Control did not respond for over an hour, despite frantic calls by the ground staff. It took over an hour to finally locate the flight, which had apparently been waiting on the tarmac for the passengers to board.

Another passenger, Gangadhar said, "What's the use of a grand opening of the new airport when everything is going haywire? Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel should be ashamed of himself for letting things go wrong like this."

The incident has added to travellers' unhappiness with Bangalore's pride, the new International Airport.

Dr Ramesh said. "This is not an international airport. This is more like a bus terminus, I'm sorry to say."

Savie Karnel and Sanchita Sen
27 May 2008

Two MiD DAY reporters set out simultaneously from Bangalore for Chennai, one by plane and the other by bus, to check out the relative merits of air and road travel. Savie Karnel, who flew from the Devanahalli airport, took 7 hours to reach central Chennai, while Sanchita Sen, who boarded a bus, took just 40 minutes more. Lesson: The long ride to the new airport takes the joy out of short haul flights. Passengers spend a lot of additional money, and save little or no time

If you suspected the long drive to the new airport would make your short haul flights way too expensive and time consuming, you were right.

MiD DAY did a reality check yesterday and found that a flight to Chennai would save you about 40 minutes, but cost you about Rs 4,300 more than if you took a bus.

We set out from Koramangala, which we thought was a good representative location to start from. It wasn't as far flung on the southern periphery as Electronic City, or as close to the airport expressway as Hebbal.

THE JOURNEY

Our destination was central Chennai. We booked two tickets, one on a private bus, and another on a Kingfisher flight. We began our journey simultaneously at 1.30 pm.

As we file our report from a hotel in Chennai, we bring you some lessons:

The distance to the airport is too much of a bother if you are in central or southern Bangalore, and are planning a trip to places such as Chennai. You have to worry about too many things: get on to cabs and buses, load and unload your baggage several times, and subject yourself to security checks and several other formalities. The new airport has other glitches. Its public address system is an abysmal failure, and the ground staff are still finding their feet.

Here is a detailed account of how our parallel journeys went.

The race begins

1.30 pm: Savie and Sanchita meet at Koramangala
1.45 pm: They wave goodbye to each other at Madivala, Hosur Road.

Sanchita’s journey

2.00 pm: Sanchita's bus leaves for Chennai. Savie gets into a cab and heads for Devanahalli.
2.55 pm: Bus crosses Tamil Nadu border and enters Hosur
3.45 pm: 15-minute break at a Krishnagiri food joint
6.30 pm: 10-minute halt for tea at Vellore
8.30 pm: Bus reaches terminus at Koyambeedu in Chennai.
8.34 pm: Auto drivers try to fleece her, but a Tamil helps her fix the fare to Egmore at Rs 120
9.10 pm: Sanchita arrives at Hotel Marina Towers, Egmore

Savie’s journey

2.00 pm: Cab leaves for Devanahalli
3.56 pm: Arrives at airport. Cab ride has taken nearly two hours
4.10 pm: Goes to the airline counter for baggage check-in and boarding pass
4.16 pm: Proceeds for security check, and waits for flight announcement. Scheduled take-off: 5.20 pm.

Reporting time is 4.20 pm and boarding 4.50 pm

4.52 pm: Asks Kingfisher ground staff about departure and is told “Wait for the announcement!”
5.00 pm: Starts getting anxious and asks airline executive at gate to the tarmac. He replies, “Wait for the announcement. Boarding will be from Gate 7”
5.10 pm: Sits down near Gate 7. Announcements are faint, and not clear.
5.12 pm: Walks up to announcement desk. No help again.
5.16 pm: Notices a passenger walking towards Gate 7. Asks ground staff about flight status and is told, “We just began boarding.” Other passengers follow, but no announcement is made
5.20 pm: Boards the BMTC Volvo bus to the aircraft, and is kept waiting for 15 minutes
5.40 pm: Enters the aircraft
6.00 pm: Pilot says he is ready, but ATC clearance is delayed because of air traffic congestion
6.15 pm: The flight finally takes off. It is late by 55 minutes
7.20 pm: Lands at Chennai airport
7.32 pm: Takes a pre-paid taxi to Egmore
8.30 pm: Reaches Hotel Marina Towers and checks in
9.10 pm: Sanchita walks in, meets Savie


Cost of bus travel

Auto fare from Koramangala to Madivala: Rs 15
ABT Travels ticket to Chennai: Rs 390
Auto fare from Koyambeedu bus terminus to Marina Towers, Egmore: Rs 120

Cost of air travel

Cab fare from Madivala to Devanahalli: Rs 700
Kingfisher ticket for Chennai: Rs 3,888
Taxi fare from Chennai airport to Egmore: Rs 250

Conclusion
Difference in price: Rs 4,328
Difference in time between air travel and bus travel: 40 minutes

Source : The Mid-Day

I am an angry Bangalorean today.

For two months, we have been hearing stories as to how the new Bengaluru International Airport was FULLY ready, and that the Government was denying the BIAL permission to commence operations of its new airport, thus causing untold losses to the consortium.

Looking to prevent a repeat of the fiasco following the launch of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, many people and bodies connected with the aviation industry, had advised a planned and incremental approach to commencing full blown operations at the new airport. Commence with international passengers, then move international cargo, and finally domestic passenger and cargo, 6 months later.

BIAL refused. They fought and got permission to commence full blown operations; and immediately ran in to, what it described as, "teething problems".

Quoting from a story in The Hindu "As the drama unfolded in the morning, some airline operators called the new airport a “complete mess”, and struggled to deal with the passengers’ ire."

The Times of India story describes other horrors with airport operations.

In an earlier article I have posted pictures, taken just 24 hours before start of its operations, of a totally incomplete cargo warehouse. A "high security", customs bonded, warehouse that was assured to be ready before the original airport opening date of March 30, 2008, two months earlier.

The CNN-IBN video shows the total collapse of ground services at BIAL. In the video some guy in a green T-Shirt is manhandling an airline employee.

Unlike RGIA, at BIAL, the entire ground handling is TOTALLY CONTROLLED by the BIAL appointed agents. The airlines have ZERO role in ground handling. Yet, airlines are having to bear the brunt of passengers' ire, since the management of BIAL and its agents' are nowhere to be found.

The ill effects of the BIAL's agent's ineptness are having impact well beyond Bangalore. The NavHind Times from Goa has this story of a flight from Bangalore to Goa that landed without the baggage.

The airlines have no offices. There are reports, that employees at the airport, have totally inadequate food canteens, the bathrooms meant for them are so badly maintained, that, in desperation, they are having to fight security staff to use passenger bathrooms, and proper drinking water is a distant dream

Yet, they are the ones, out there in the front, without sleep, and without proper food, fire-fighting for their passengers' basic comforts, on a fiasco, not of their making. Is it any wonder why there are staffing problems already ?

BIAL, and their supporters, have been claiming that the airport was FULLY READY since March 30. That was two months ago.

Obviously BIAL has not used the two month delay constructively, since crucially required infrastructure, is still 3~6 months away. Imagine our plight, if the airport had opened two months earlier.

A simple thing like no water, are not teething problems. Not maintaining bathrooms, are not teething problems. Having an incomplete "high security", customs bonded, cargo warehouse, when it was guaranteed to be ready 2 months ago, are not teething problems. Not having offices or basic food canteens for airlines' employees, are not teething problems. These are failures due to sheer un-preparedness.

I have said this before. If we do not ensure the proper working condition and comfort, of those who ensure our comfort and safety, the system will collapse.

Did BIAL lie to Bangalore when it claimed to be ready for take-off on March 30th ? May be not, but for sure, they did not tell the whole truth.

In fact, one service that performed flawlessly, was the Government owned, BMTC's, Vayu Vajra airport Volvo bus service.

We have to stop being BIAL apologists. The BIAL consortium are supposed to be "specialists" with years of experience in airport operations. They are not amateurs, and should be held to higher standards.

BIAL management and those of IT'S agents should on scene, taking personal charge, helping and sorting out the problems. Mr. Brunner's presence at the airport will send the much needed signals to everyone, to shape up.

After all this is sorted out, we should BIAL's hold feet to the fire. They have up till now, shown complete inflexibility, and waved their contract in face of this nation. Now it is time to show them the same treatment.

Put together an independent body, comprised of equal representation from BIAL, Government, Airlines, Cargo and Customs Agents, Industry and Passengers. This body will ensure committed delivery dates of infrastructure, and monitor service levels for the first six months. Any slip, and cough up cash, M/s BIAL. This same body can then continue to act like a permanent, independent service monitoring body, armed with penal powers.

Obviously BIAL read the pulse of Bangaloreans correctly. We were shown a good looking passenger terminal, and we, as expected, we fell for the "Hawa Mahal". We just gushed in awe, and did not look beyond the façade.

HAL was not comfortable airport by any means, but at least it was functioning one; and in ALL aspects -- passengers, cargo and employees. Bangalore has been forced to close this functioning airport, and move to a facility that is far from ready, and obviously not fully functional.

All these days, BIAL has been harping on the sanctity of their contract with India.

It time we hold BIAL to the sanctity of the unwritten contract, to provide public infrastructure on a FAIR basis, while providing the residents of Bangalore, the TRUE and COMPLETE picture.

Right now, this does not appear to be the case.