Based on 2008 data sampling by Flightstats.com, a list of the most delayed and the most punctual airports in the world, by on-time arrivals, and on-time departures.


Most delayed arrivals airports.
India tops the list with three of its major cities in the top five. I was stunned to see our much beloved Bengaluru International Airport in this dubious list.

Worst arrival rank: 1
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM), Mumbai, India
Percentage of on-time arrivals: 49.95%

For the second year in a row, India's busiest airport, tops the list as the world's most-delayed airport in terms of arrivals. About 58% of its late arrivals in 2008 were delayed by 30 minutes or more, according to FlightStats sampling of the airport's flights. In November, the airport opened a new taxiway to reduce the wait time for landing aircraft.

Worst arrival rank: 2
Indira Gandhi International Airport, (DEL), New Delhi, India
Percentage of on-time arrivals: 50.89%

A sampling of the airport's flights shows that nearly 60% of its delayed flights were late by more than 30 minutes. In October, a third runway, one of the longest in Asia, became fully operational.

Worst arrival rank: 3
Mohammed V International Airport (CMN), Casablanca, Morocco
Percentage of on-time arrivals: 53.83%

The airport, run by the Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA), gets a low grade for on-time arrivals. More than 60% of its flights sampled by FlightStats in 2008 were at least 30 minutes late. Departures weren't much better: 64% left on time.

Worst arrival rank: 4
Bengaluru International Airport (BLR), Bangalore, India
Percentage of on-time arrivals: 60.16%

A massive drop in performance occurred due to the chaos following the opening of the new Bengaluru International Airport. Airport operator, BIAL, spokesperson, says, many of the delays are at origin airports. This is partially correct, since, when compared to fellow private greenfield airport, Rajiv Gandhi International (RGIA), at Hyderabad, which has similar traffic patterns, which has better on-time performance. From personal experience, I can attest to significant improvement in performance since opening. I am certain 2009 will be much better and we will not see BIA in this dubious list.

The winter fog, however, has repeatedly exposed the lack of a robust and needed Cat II or higher ILS system at the airport. As an example, as per Flightstats data, on 7th January, BIA managed a poor 54% and 23% on-time departure and arrival, when compared to 67% and 63% at RGIA. The lack of flight on-time performance predictability, aggravates passenger dis-satisfaction, especially when the distance of the airport from the city, is added. It also has an negative impact on the precious domestic departure terminal space.

BIAL must address the Cat II ILS requirement, before the onset of the next winter season, in order to achieve the needed levels of passenger satisfaction, and avoid needless expense in terminal expansion.

Worst arrival rank: 5
Orio al Serio International Airport (BGY), Bergamo, Italy
Percentage of on-time arrivals: 60.55%

Orio al Serio, the smallest of the five airports, serves budget carriers to Bergamo, and nearby Milan. In 2008, 55% of delayed arrivals sampled by FlightStats were less than 30 minutes late. However, only 60% of its flights departed on time as well.


Most delayed departures airports.
The top five most delayed airports airports were far more diversified geographically.

Worst departure rank: 1
Beijing Capital International (PEK), Beijing, China
Percentage of on-time departures: 47.86%

As the city hosted the Olympics, with the world's largest terminal, BCIA once again holds the dubious distinction of being the worst airport for on-time departures. 45% departures were delayed by 30 minutes or more, according to a sampling of the airport's flights.

Worst departure rank: 2
Manchester Airport (MAN), Manchester, United Kingdom
Percentage of on-time departures: 49.11%

Northern England's main airport had about 48% of its delayed departures late by at least 30 minutes, according to a sampling of flights.

Worst departure rank: 3
Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), Venice, Italy
Percentage of on-time departures: 53.59%

About 50% of its late flights in 2008 were late by at least 30 minutes, according to FlightStats' sampling of flight information. One unique feature of Venice's airport: You can get there by boat.

Worst departure rank: 4
Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE), Nice, France
Percentage of on-time departures: 56.31%

The airport is the third busiest in France, serving 10.4 million passengers in 2007.

Worst departure rank: 5
Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino (FCO), Rome, Italy
Percentage of on-time departures: 57.83%

It can take 30 minutes or more to reach Rome's main airport from the city center, about the same time, more than 50% of departures were delayed according to FlightStats' sampling of the airport's flights.


Most punctual airports
The best on-time airports in the world. Tokyo leads the pack, with a clean sweep 1 and 2. I was surprised to see that neither Singapore's award winning Changi airport, or any of Germany's, or Switzerland's airports, countries knowns for their punctuality and efficiency, making the top five.

1. Haneda Airport, (HND), Tokyo, Japan: 90.0%
Even though it handles primarily domestic traffic, Haneda is the fourth busiest airport in the world, moving more than 65 million passengers in 2006. The older of the two airports around Tokyo, Haneda holds the record for on-time departures (93.3 percent), while nearly 87 percent of commercial flights arrived on time in 2007, making it the most punctual airport for both arrivals and departures (90 percent) in the world.

2. New Tokyo International Airport, (NRT), Narita, Japan: 84.2%
Haneda's sister airport Narita opened in 1978 to take over most of the international passenger traffic to and from Japan. It has an on-time arrival rate of 82 percent; on-time departures are 86 percent, and is ranked number two overall (84.2 percent) in the world for punctual performance

3. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei (TPE): 80.3%
The airport's sprawling second terminal opened in 2000, enabling TPE to move 22 million passengers in 2006. In 2007, 82 percent of Taoyuan's flights left the tarmac on time; of those, less than four percent were classified "excessively late," or delayed 45 minutes. Factoring in its 78 percent on-time arrivals, Taoyuan is practically tied with Kingsford Smith International in Sydney with an overall on-time performance rate of 80.3 percent.

4. Kingsford Smith International Airport, Sydney (SYD): 80.1%
With 30 million passengers in 2006, Kingsford Smith is the busiest and the oldest airport in Australia. Its on-time departures and arrivals are almost even, or 79.3 percent and 81 percent, respectively, with an average wait time of about 40 minutes. With an overall on-time performance rate of 80.1 percent, Kingsford Smith is nearly tied with third place winner Taiwan Taoyuan International.

5. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG): 79.7%
Voted "Airport of the Year" in 2007 by London-based air transport research center Skytrax, the ten-year-old airport is the second busiest in Asia. It boasts on-time departures of 81.1 percent; on-time arrivals of 78.3 percent, giving it a cumulative score of 79.7 percent.

Sources :
Forbes - Most delayed airports
Forbes - Most punctual airports

As Mumbai recovers from the dastardly terror attacks, all major airports across India, especially those in the western region, have been put on ultra high alert and extra vigil has been mounted.

Image Courtesy FT.com
Extra surveillance has been mounted, with additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and police personnel being deployed to keep an eye not just around the terminals, but around the airport perimeters as well.

Sniffer dogs were being deployed in some airports to assist the checking of baggage and plainclothes security are deployed. Officials added, that sky-marshals were boarding planes flying on specifically identified routes, on a regular basis.

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has been virtually locked down. The security commences at the main highway with vehicles being stopped and completely inspected, along with passengers and their documents, before being allowed to even enter, the airport premises.

Other major metro airports are also in a similar "enhanced inspection" mode.

Airlines, both domestic and international, are informing passengers to arrive at the airports at least one hour before the original check-in time for thorough inspection of their baggage and the vehicles in which they are coming.

Passengers have also been asked by the airlines to carry valid identification documents. I would advise carrying two pieces of identification, and please carry an OFFICIAL ID.

For flight information at Mumbai (Airport Code BOM) I recommend Flightstats

Status of various airlines

Domestic Airlines
Air India, Jet, JetLite, Kingfisher, IndiGo, SpiceJet, etc., are all mostly back to normal.

International Airlines
Almost all airlines schedules have returned back to normal today 28 November 2008. Some quotes from selected airlines' websites for your ready reference. However, I will advise you to please contact the airline for the latest information.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa will resume its flights to Mumbai today Friday, 28.11.2008 according to schedule.

Lufthansa passengers booked to and from Mumbai with a departure date until 01.12.2008 may change their booking to a different Lufthansa destination in India free of charge. Alternatively, the booking can be cancelled without additional costs.

Air France

Further to the situation in Mumbai, Air France has had to cancel the following flights on November 27th, 2008.
AF134 Paris CDG / Mumbai, departure initially planned at 10h30 Local time.
AF135 Mumbai / Paris CDG, departure initially planned at 02h40 Local time.

The flights on Friday November 28th will operate as usual. :
AF134 Paris CDG / Mumbai, departure initially planned at 10h30 Local time.
AF135 Mumbai / Paris CDG, departure initially planned at 02h40 Local time.

Then, AF135 on November 29th Mumbai / Paris CDG is postponed on November 30th at 00h55.( Flight number AF135A)

Emirates

Following the horrifying attacks in Mumbai in several locations across the city on 26th November 2008, Emirates' town, ticketing and finance offices, which are located in South Mumbai, will remain closed on 28th November.

Our contact centre (running on skeleton staff), airport office and cargo operations will function as normal.

Currently, our flights to and from Mumbai are operating as per schedule. We will continue to monitor the situation closely. The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines flights to and from Mumbai are operating normally at this time.

The Singapore Airlines' town office in Mumbai is closed. Reservations inquires are being supported by our Reservations Centre in Delhi, and ticketing issues will be managed at the airport. Customers may contact the Reservations Centre in Delhi via: 91-11-23356683 or 91-11-23356684.

Customers booked on flights are advised to monitor for news about flights on the Singapore Airlines website.

Singapore Airlines will waive all cancellation and change fees for customers with tickets to and from Mumbai on Singapore Airlines flights as follows:

• Valid for tickets issued prior to 27 November 2008 for travel up to and including 7 December 2008, on a Singapore Airlines flight to Mumbai;
• Customers may change the routing of their journey, defer the date of travel or cancel, without penalty, until 7 February 2009 in the same class;
• Any change of date or routing will be charged at the new fare for that journey less the fare for the journey paid to Mumbai, with no amendment fee (eg, if travel is deferred to a higher season, the seasonal fare difference will still apply);
• The same conditions apply for KrisFlyer redemption tickets.

British Airways

British Airways flights continue to operate to Mumbai. Customers may make changes to their travel plans as outlined below.

Customers who have bookings made before midnight on Wednesday 26 November 2008, for travel up to and including midnight on Wednesday 3 December 2008 may:

Rebook in same class and cabin as the original ticket for a different date to Mumbai.

or

Rebook to an alternative destination in India in the same class and cabin as the original booking at no additional cost to the customer.

If the same booking class is not available, the next lowest class may be booked within the same cabin.Customers will not be offered a refund unless their fare rules allow.Customers currently in Mumbai affected by the situation are advised to contact 1-800 102 FLYBA (1-800 102 35922)

The Karnataka state government is tripping over itself trying to expedite the High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) to the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), conservatively expected to cost Rs. 5,200 - Rs. 5,700 Crore by completion date, somewhere by 2012.

The HSRL project has been put on the fast track, and the Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation Limited (KSIIDC) has already published a Request for Qualification (RFQ) document on its website. KSIIDC is expected to announce the short-list by October 21. The letter of award to the bidder is estimated for February 16, 2009. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), is the project consultant.

The City Airport Terminal (CAT), the starting point of the HSRL is on Parade Ground next to the Chinnaswamy Stadium on M.G. Road, with stations at Hebbal and Yelahanka. The final station will be at BIA. The first three stations will be elevated, and the BIA station is has not been determined as yet.

I am confused on some aspects of the HSRL when trying to do a sanity check.

Sanity Check 1: Who is the target customer of the HSRL ?
In 2012, assuming the global economy revives in the next 12 months, oil prices reduce drastically, and BIAL's ambition of a south India hub comes true, I can project a maximum growth to 30 million passengers. Which translates to about 500,000 passengers, up and down, per week. Assuming 60% of passengers use the HSRL, this translates to a maximum of 300,000 trips per week.

Assuming 20,000 workers at the airport, if airport workers are added, then the number of weekly trips can increase 50% to 450,000 trips.

The time-table of "airport city" where another 100,000 people are expected to work is unknown at this time. When airport city reaches peak capacity we can assume another 250,000 trips per week.

Each category of person has differing needs.

Sanity Check 2: Convenience
The Central Business District (CBD) which includes M.G. Road area is completely choked with traffic. How many travellers are willing endure the pain and hardship to come to the CAT, and then take a train.

HSRL passengers from Central, South and South East part of Bangalore can still be expected to use the CAT, since it is on the way to the airport. Those from the western, eastern, and north-western suburbs are not going to spend enormous amounts of time deviating from the shortest possible route to come to the CAT. It is unclear if there is a park and ride facility at Hebbal.

Sanity Check 3: Close integration with Namma Metro and BMTC
A lack of close integration with the Metro is another area due for a sanity check. Integration with the Metro is vital for the long term success of the HSRL as it will provide the distributed connectivity to various parts of the city. As per my understanding, the Minsk Square metro station will be connected by a 200 meter walkway to the CAT. 200 meters with luggage does not remotely qualify as integration. There is no information available on whether the Vayu Vajra service will be linked to the CAT.

Sanity Check 4: Affordability
Passengers want to get to the airport in the shortest amount of time and are willing to pay a premium, but the airport worker wants affordability. BMTC has been forced to offer monthly passes on its much vaunted Vayu Vajra service for Rs. 2,500 per month, which translates to Rs. 50 per trip (compared to a planned Rs. 200 on the HSRL), and even this most workers and businesses find expensive.

Sanity Check 5: Financial Viability
If the HSRL will not cater to airport workers, then traffic will drop to 300,000 trips per week. Even at 500,000 trips per week, and at Rs. 200 a trip, the gross revenue will be about Rs. 520 Crore per year. A profit after tax (PAT) of 10% will result in an annual profit of just about Rs. 52 Crore, ridiculously small for a 5,000+ Cr outlay.

I have tremendous regard for Mr. E. Sreedharan, especially his construction achievements on the Konkan railway and DMRC, but DMRC does not enjoy the best of reputations on financial transparency. Sunil Jain's Rational Expectations article in today's Business Standard is a good reality check on how DMRC manipulates or suppresses figures to project a rosy picture, when in reality, it is not.

I am the first person to stand in the Yes column when it comes to better connectivity to BIA, including the HSRL. However, at a time when Karnataka has more pressing infrastructural and social needs, a detailed sanity check is required to ensure the HSRL does not turn out to be another white elephant draining the precious public coffers.

Foreign airlines flock to India, ignore global downturn

India is seen as a growing market for international airline traffic and the current market size is nearly $5 billion (Rs 21,000 cr) a year

They are cutting flights to several destinations in the wake of a worldwide slump in business, but international airlines are doing just the opposite in India because they believe the country’s international air traffic will only grow in the coming years.

Interestingly, this comes even as the domestic aviation business is going through a downturn.

Large carriers already operating here such as British Airways and Emirates are either increasing the number of flights to Indian cities they already fly to, or beginning to fly to new cities, while smaller players such RAK Airways and Garuda Indonesia are starting to fly into the country.

India is seen as a growing market for international airline traffic and the current market size is nearly $5 billion (Rs21,000 crore) a year, said a senior official with a foreign airline.

“India, with its huge middle-class population of over 250 million, is like an untapped gold mine,” said K. Ravindran, chief operating officer, RAK Airways, which started operations in India from April, flying between Kozhikode and Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. “With its present international travel market not even covering 2% of the population, the country offers large opportunities for airlines. India is an important geographic area in all our future network plans.”

ON THE RADAR

Kapil Kaul, chief executive officer (Indian subcontinent and West Asia) of consulting firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, said India is a critical destination for international airlines based on the “various dynamics of competition and consolidation of their network”.

“So, when a rebound happens there (in global markets), these carriers will have an advantage as they would have already built capacities in India,” he added.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Singapore Airlines Ltd, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, British Airways Plc. (BA) and Emirates are in the process of increasing the frequency of their flights and connecting new destinations here.

Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Ltd (an affiliate of Cathay Pacific), Saudi Arabia’s Sama LelTayaran Co. Ltd (popularly known as Sama), and AirAsia Berhad are also launching operations in the country.

This surge, Kaul said, is also because international airlines are trying to gain a foothold in the India-bound market before domestic private carriers Jet Airways (India) Ltd and Kingfisher Airlines Ltd grow into a threat.

Jet launched its international operations in 2004 and Kingfisher will start flying overseas routes from September.

“Other reasons include a nearly liberalized bilateral government policy with other countries and sustained economic growth amidst recession,” he added.

For instance, Emirates, which recently increased the frequency of its Delhi-Dubai flights, is readying for another round of expansion by increasing the number of flights to Hyderabad and Bangalore from October.

Singapore Airlines is also adding five flights on its Delhi-Singapore sector from September, taking its total flights to Indian cities to 63.

“We will be adding two more flights in Bangalore as India is our key market,” said Gunjn Chanana, public relations manager for India at Singapore Airlines, without disclosing the airline’s growth rates here. “We believe there is potential (for more) growth.”

“India today is by far the largest single market for Qatar Airways with a network of nine cities, which represents more than 10% of our global network of 83 international routes,” said Qatar Airways’ chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker in an email.

Qatar Airways added Kozhikode as its ninth destination in India in June.

The global aviation industry is waging a losing battle against rising aviation fuel costs, which have increased 30% this year.

However, international airlines expect potential passenger growth from India to nullify the impact over the long term.

“For example, we have registered a load factor of 86% during the first half of this year in the India-Sharjah sector,” said Housam Raydan, corporate communications manager, Air Arabia PJSC which operates 86 flights a week between Sharjah and India.

Much of the rise in international air travel from India is driven by traffic to South-East Asian countries, while demand for destinations in the US, Australia and New Zealand is also increasing.

“The overall (number of) Indian arrivals to Malaysia from January to May 2008 is 234,245, a growth of 32.5% from last year. Similarly, Singapore has also witnessed above-average growth,” said Neelu Singh, chief operating officer, Ezeego1.com, a Mumbai-based online travel agency.

Naresh Goyal, founder chairman of Jet Airways, had said in an earlier conversation with Mint that Indian airlines pose a serious threat to international carriers on account of the quality of their service.

He had added that Jet, which earns nearly half of its operating revenues from international operations, would extend its global reach to other cities in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia in phases.

“However, international carriers will have to be a bit cautious in increasing their capacities considering the current downturn,” said Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, chief executive officer of Jet Airways.

His warning holds merit as three carriers—Linee Aeree Italiane SpA (Alitalia), Eva Air (Taiwan) and British Midland Airways Ltd—have suspended their Indian operations over the past two years, because of intense competition.

Ryanair Ltd, United Air Lines Inc., US Airways Inc., Qantas Airways Ltd and BA have either deferred, or cancelled their international flights to various cities owing to the high jet fuel prices.

Source : The Mint

By TBM Staff | Chennai

The development plans of Chennai Airport got the clearance of the Public Investment Board (PIB) today. It will now have to be approved by the Government (CCEA approval). The work is expected to begin by September 2008. Last year in April, the Government decided that the Chennai Airport would be developed by following international standards by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The AAI has developed a master plan and design of terminals through Global Architectural Design Competition. An Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) has approved the development plans. The plans focus on the enhancement of runway capacity, apron capacity and terminal building capacity.

The Tamil Nadu government has handed over about 130 acres of land to the AAI for the development of the secondary runway. Land has also been made available by the defence authorities. In a meeting chaired by the Defence Minister, held on July 24, 2008, it was decided to hand over 21 acres of defence land to the AAI for the expansion of the airport. The Expert Committee on Infrastructural Development is expected to give the environmental clearance to the expansion project shortly.

The existing international terminal at the Chennai Airport has a capacity of three million passengers and existing domestic terminal has a capacity of six million passengers. Additional capacity of four million is being added to the international terminal to enhance its capacity to seven million passengers. A new domestic terminal is being built with capacity of ten million in addition to the existing domestic terminal, to augment the capacity of the domestic terminal to 16 million. The construction and development work is expected to be complete by October 2010. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 1808.10 crore of which approximately Rs 1077.16 crores will be required for the new domestic terminal building and for the modernisation/extension of the international terminal and the face lifting of the existing international and domestic terminals. 80 per cent of the project will be funded through internal resources of the AAI and 20 per cent through commercial borrowings. No User Development Fee (UDF) or budgetary support is envisaged for this project.

The upgraded international terminal building, which will be able cater to seven million passengers a year, will have a peak hour capacity of about 4450 passengers, 109 check in counters, 35 immigration counters for departure and 39 for arrival, eight customs counters for departure and 26 for arrival, eight conveyor belts and eight aerobridges. This terminal is expected to be saturated in 2017-2018. The domestic passenger terminals which will be able to cater to 16 million passengers annually will have a peak hour capacity of about 5360 passengers, 99 check in counters, ten conveyor belts, nine aerobridges and is expected to be saturated by 2012-2013.

The pre-engineering and pre-qualification of the project have been completed. As per present estimates, work is expected to commence in September, 2008. Construction of runway, taxiway, parking bays is expected to be complete in 20 months and the terminal buildings in September 2010. Thus, the runway, taxiway, parking bays scheduled to be completed by April, 2010 and the terminal buildings by October, 2010.

Source : TravelBizMonitor.com

An official study by the Airports Authority of India assesses the annual passenger capacity of HAL Airport at 8 million passengers. 6.5 million domestic terminal and 1.5 million international terminal.

This is contrary to popular belief of 3.5 million passengers.

According to Mr. B.R. Sena, General Manager, AAI, Bangalore, the figure of 3.5 million is based on extremely old assessments. AAI has added the international terminal building, and increased the size of the existing domestic departure terminal since then.

It is approaching 2 weeks since the launch of the new Bengaluru International Airport and the management of BIAL has been making steady progress in solving the multitude of problems present.

Before I offer some suggestions for BIAL management for their consideration, I make an open offer to BIAL management, on behalf of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce. We want BIAL to succeed. We are here to understand and help. In return we ask for transparency, trust, and sincere engagement from BIAL.

Now the suggestions :

Most important : HAL is now closed. Passengers may provide a "honeymoon period", but industry cannot afford to. Services have to be delivered, and NOW!!!!!

1. Airport Flow
a.
Add your own security staff to monitor and govern flow of vehicles inside BIAL airport land.
b.
Add overhead signage indicating the correct lanes for (a) parking (b) pick-up and drop-off. The over-zealous parking attendants crowd the entrance lanes trying to divert all vehicles in to the paid parking, which only adds to the chaos.
c.
Prevent service road encroachment by parked Lorries and Vans, up to and including the fuel farm. Once the cargo village gets going it will become a mess of monster proportions.
d.
Expand the service road to 4 lanes. The current 2 lanes will not cope with the multitudes of commercial vehicles already choking the road.
e.
Consider making the service road "one-way" East to West. The main access road can be used as the West to East access for all vehicles.

2. Passenger Terminal and Services
a.
While not expecting BIAL to become a picnic spot, add seating for visitors to the airport, and add public toilets outside the terminal. Visitors may not be paying to enter the terminal, but a certain level of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is good business.
b.
Add a canopy from the terminal till the bus stand. It will aid and promote the usage of the Vayu Vajra services. In these times of high inflation, helping a passenger save money is good business.
c.
Expand the terminal on a war footing. The terminal design is modular and can be rapidly expanded. 71,000 sq. mtrs., is simply unable to cope with the demand. An overflowing departure lounge only diminishes the goodwill BIAL commands, and will lessen your "honeymoon period".
d.
Do not add additional retail space in the expansion. The current over-dedication to retail can be lowered by re-distributing the shops.
e.
Increase the apron, parking stands and gates. 42 Code C stands which includes 8 contact gates for 450+ flights a day is simply not enough. At the peak of 30 flights per hour, it will get overwhelmed if there is the slightest hiccup.
f.
Increase the number of toilets inside the terminal
g.
Stick to your guns on only 2 ground handling agents only if you can ensure their performance
h.
Provide permanent, good low priced, facilities for your customers' and partners' employees. i.e. airline staff, regulatory agencies (Customs, CISF, Immigration), cargo employees, etc.
i.
Speak to CISF Commandant, make them understand the need to use all the entrances to the terminal, and all the DFMDs/X-Ray scanners.

3. Services and Cargo

Cargo is the core reason of an airport, as far as industry is concerned. With the lack of a seaport in Bangalore the criticality only increases adding to the pressure.

India ranks a lowly 39th in the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index. In all crucial benchmarks India was below rank 40, only the competence of the people in the clearing process (customs excluded) at rank 31, salvaged the overall ranking. This has to improve, and Bangalore has always led the way.

Both the warehouses (Menzies Bobba and AI-SATS) have not taken advantage of the 2 month delay, and are just not ready. Their services are not up to international standards. From reports of airlines, air cargo agents, customs house agents, the situation will stabilise only after 1~1.5 months. This is simply unacceptable. It needs to be set right in 15 days.

BIAL was brought in to deliver a "world class" airport, and this includes cargo. If any of the cargo terminal operators cannot deliver results, they should be suspended from operation till they improve.

India has established the WRDA, and BIAL management has to realise that it is ultimately responsible for delivering "Global Service Quality" levels. It needs to be the big, bad, bar bouncer, and push its people and partners, in to delivering.

a.
BIAL management needs to recognise that cargo and logistics operations are a vital part of an airport and its interaction with a much larger hinterland, when compared to the passenger catchment area.
b.
BIAL needs to make a parking for all the commercial vehicles at the airport. The service road is choked with lorries, LCVs, mini-trucks, goods auto-rickshaws, etc.
c.
Need to enforce basic GMP and GS1 standards in warehousing.
d.
Create a joint Cargo-Terminal, Airline, Cargo-Agent, Customs-Agent and Industry Chambers task force that will meet and measure, on a monthly basis the :

• Effectiveness and Efficiency of the clearing process
• Infrastructure
• Ease and affordability
• Competence of the clearance process and people
  
• Package Traceability
• Reliability and repeatability i.e. confidence level

e.
Bring in the managements of both Menzies Aviation Bobba and Air India-Singapore Airport Terminal Services and get categoric commitments on SLAs for the following :

• Import Bonding - Target 3 hours
• Import IGM filing - Target 3 hours (if airlines do not comply, ban them)
• Cargo Traceability - No more than 1 hour. GMP or GS1 standards.
  
• Exports - Target 2 hours
• Goods vehicle parking - No truck should stand on the service road
• Infrastructure
  

f.
Strongly consider adding a third cargo terminal, but ensure you get a very high quality vendor.
g.
Add specialist warehousing options, to increase the value proposition. For example Frozen (below 20 Deg C), Chilled (-4 to +4 Deg C), Cold Room (+4 to +15 Deg C) abilities.
h.
Provide public facilities and toilets for the employees.

Long term
a.
BIAL needs to engage Bangalore; its industry, its commerce, its residents. Operate in an open and transparent manner.
b.
Show Bangalore its long term plans, especially expansion. Some specific points can include :

• Status of second phase
• Permissions for the second runway
• SLAs 1 year from airport opening date (AOD)

c.
Bring in the full expertise of Unique Zurich organisation. Marry it to local competence and understanding. Instead of looking for a Civil Engineer to head the 2nd phase expansion, try and find competencies in other fields. The top person for phase 2, has to focus on efficient process and overall customer delight, not worry about how to make a building.

I hope BIAL finds these suggestions helpful. I invite readers to please add to the list by using the comments option.

Depending on which stake holder of the the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) consortium you listen to, the capacity of the new BIA airport is 9 million passengers (as per Airports Authority of India) to 12 million passengers (Mr. Albert Brunner).

However, no one has claimed a capacity of over 12 million passengers. At best, we are informed, that the terminal has a modular design and can be expanded as and when required.

We know from news reports, and BIAL's own reports, that 448 flights per day are planned for the summer schedule (effective March 31, 2008), up from the current 320~330 flights at the HAL airport. This represents a growth of 35.75% on airport opening day. We also know from current AAI records that the 330 flights per day at HAL airport is resulting in 10.5 million passengers per year. Simple extrapolation shows that the 448 flights will result in 14.25 million passengers from the airport opening day itself.

So my question to Mr. Brunner and all the stakeholders of BIAL (Siemens, L&T, Zurich Airport, AAI and KSIIDC) is where do you plan to put the additional 2.25 million passengers ? Surely BIAL does not have any means of expanding a terminal overnight.

"At London Heathrow Terminal 5 we’ve created a natural, logical journey that’s so calm, you’ll flow through. It should only take ten minutes to get from check-in to departures"

This is the promise British Airways makes about the new super large, super luxurious, $8.6 billion Terminal 5 or T5, at London Heathrow airport. Capable of handling 30 million passengers, this ONE uber-terminal, is 13.76 times bigger than our entire BIAL or RGIA airport in financial outlay.

The reality on opening day ...... 20% flights cancelled, thousands of passengers stranded without baggage, check-in queues so long that check-in itself was suspended and passengers told to either check-in without baggage, or go home or a hotel. The reason offered by British Airways .... "staff familiarisation problems" which lead to a total collapse of the baggage, security, and check-in systems.

At the same time, across the world, right here at Bangalore HAL airport, while a Kingfisher ATR plane is taking off, a dog runs across the runway and crashes in to the aircraft. The impact breaks the nose wheel of the aircraft which skids and blocks the runway. The result, is a 4 hour shut down of the airport with scores of flights diverted to alternate airports. The resultant disruption heaps misery on all stake holders from passengers to employees to cargo.

This form of systemic collapse has occurred before. When Chep Lap Kok, Hong Kong's state of the airport opened, the entire freight terminal collapsed for a period of 2 weeks. The economic impact was felt all the way around the world, with prices of electronic goods and Pentium processors shooting up 500%. Airport closures due to runway disruption have been experienced, not just at Bangalore HAL, but also at India's mega airports, Mumbai and Delhi, and very recently, at London Heathrow airport.

Both incidences highlight, that despite the best planning, best capabilities, and best intentions, things can, and do go wrong. Given the critical nature and role of airports today, it is crucial to have backup systems.

Terminal 5 at Heathrow, may not have any backup options, but in the case of Bangalore, we have the option of keeping HAL airport open instead of closing it down.

Sunday March 16 2008 00:42 IST
http://www.newindpress.com/sunday/sundayitems.asp?id=SEC20080315151623&eTitle=Columns&rLink=0
TJS GEORGE

A FRIGHTENING fact about the Bangalore International Airport is now out in the open - that it was going to start regular flights without crucial air traffic control arrangements at the ready. ATC experts had told a newspaper that operations before specialist personnel and calibrated equipment were fully trained and tested would be “imprudent and irresponsible”. The airport company seemed to ignore the warning. Eventually the Civil Aviation Ministry had to virtually order a postponement before the “disappointed” company agreed.

What we see here is a problem of Attitude. Here is a company with a leadership that is obsessed with “recovering the heavy investment” in the airport. To achieve that end, it does not mind paying inadequate attention to safety concerns; it does not mind charging the world’s highest User Fee; it does not mind forcing arriving passengers to hire ‘luxury’ taxis that may cost as much as a thousand rupees for a ride to Electronic City; in the process, it does not mind antagonising Karnataka Tourism and Karnataka taxi owners who have been handling airport traffic well enough these many years.

The big long-term issue is the User Fee. Here too Attitude is the problem. Hyderabad heeded the Government of India’s proposal and abolished the User Fee for domestic passengers. Bangalore said its case was different. (Because its Attitude is different). So a passenger from Bangalore to Chennai will have to pay a User Fee of about Rs 1000 (including tax). Compare this with the highest domestic User Fee in Asia - the Sukarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta which charges the equivalent of 443 Indian rupees. Bangalore’s User Fee should, in tribute to its CEO, be called Brunner’s Ransom.

However, the citizen does have some recourse. Travellers who have spare time (example, holiday makers) have started planning their international departures from Chennai and Kochi. This offers a ready-made business opportunity to an enterprising bus operator in Chennai (and Kochi). An airconditioned coach service from Madras Central Station to the Airport timed to suit international departures is something that will do very well now.

Passengers had already begun shunning Bangalore for short-haul flights, forcing several airlines to plan cuts in their short-haul schedules. If Mysore airport is operationalised, these airlines can turn it into a kind of short-haul hub. Road-rail connectivity to Mysore is already excellent. The runway is apparently finished and terminal building work is well under way.

Best of all, though, how about a new, small, private airport for Karnataka? It will only need someone with, say, 300-400 acres of land. A runway that can handle ATRs will be perfect to cover all centres South of the Vindhyas.

If it can take 737s, it will be right for all of India too. Any location between Kengeri and Bangarpet will guarantee success because it will be ideal for day trippers from Electronic City.

Bangalore has outstanding brand ambassadors who can make this dream project a reality – Captain Gopinath, a proven pioneer; Vijay Mallya, the man with the Midas touch; Rajiv Chandrasekhar, known for his commitment to infrastructure.

It’s an idea whose time has come - the Kengeri Domestic Airport.

Both the Governments (of India and of Karnataka) face a dilemma -- while they realise that there is sound logic, to keeping HAL airport open along with the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), they face a intransigent BIAL consortium, who appears hell bent on enforcing the terms of their Concession Agreement.

We should also try and understand BIAL's perspective. They have done their part; so why should they re-negotiate their contract ?

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Member of Parliament from Karnataka and President of FICCI, summed it up well in this news story in Business Standard. “Commercial contracts and investments made in good faith in our state must not be put at risk. At the same time, it is the government’s obligation and responsibility to ensure public interest is best served. Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) and its shareholders must as well be reasonable towards a solution - that as long as their investments make reasonable returns, they shouldn’t push to maintain a monopoly”

Thanks to the economic boom in India, the liberalisation of the aviation, and the efforts of the low cost carriers, who incidentally lead the global surge in aviation growth, Bangalore air traffic has exploded; to a growth level just not anticipated, let alone planned for.

In the 33 month period that BIA was being constructed, traffic has grown 255% from 4.1 million passengers per annum (MPPA) to almost 10.8 MPPA. With all due respect to the capabilities of the BIAL consortium, I dare say, there is no infrastructure project in the world, that can plan for, let alone handle this level of growth.

BIAL has independently contracted Lufthansa Consulting (LHC) on two occasions to project air traffic. I am sure these figures are the very foundation on which the consortium planned the financial viability of the project. As per BIAL website these are the passenger figures

Bangalore has crossed, BIAL's "Optimistic" figures for the year 2010, 3 years ahead in 2007. This gap is only widening with each passing day. In November 2007, BIAL made projections to an committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which show that the actual air traffic in 2013 will cross 23.44 MPPA, the "optimistic" number for 2025 i.e. 12 years ahead of schedule. Many seasoned industry watchers believe, that the BIAL projections to IATA, continue to be excessively conservative, and that with both BIAL and HAL operating together, Bangalore air traffic will cross the 23.44 MPPA mark by late 2012 itself.

Industry leaders have made a proposal to keep HAL airport open along with BIAL. Even with diversion of 4 MPPA to HAL, BIAL will handle 135% of its "optimisic" projections in 2010, growing to a whopping 210% by 2015. There is further benefit in this proposal to BIAL. We all know that the limiting factor at BIAL is not the terminal, and most definitely not capabilities, IT IS THE RUNWAY. Since AAI is a partner at BIA, the airport is abiding by AAI policy to boost regional traffic by not charging landing fees to ATR and similar turbo-prop aircraft. Any aircraft large or small, will occupy the same 2 minutes of time on the runway. By allowing HAL to function, BIA can divert this "less profitable" short-haul traffic to HAL and focus on the more profitable long haul and larger jet aircraft.


A commercial venture has to operate in harmony with the community it serves. The past episode of Enron, taught us, that a commercial agreement which impedes rather than promotes its original purpose of serving the public interest, will cause the opposition and resentment from the very public it was meant to serve. The promoters of BIAL should listen to the voices of reason echoing in chorus, and take this proposal positively to re-negotiate their Concession Agreement.

After all they will continue to get their bonanza of profits, but with the added bonus of public satisfaction and harmony.

Bangalore to beat passenger traffic forecast from day one
EXISTING BANGALORE, HYDERABAD AIRPORTS: TO BE OR NOT TO BE

BS Reporter / Bangalore March 6, 2008

'Growing demand can keep both new and existing airports fully occupied.'

The new Bangalore international airport, scheduled to start flight operations from March 30, will far exceed its passenger traffic forecast from the very first day.

Consequently, there is a growing demand to let the existing HAL airport remain operational even after the new one starts functioning. The government’s agreement with the promoters of the new airport provides for closure of the existing airport after the new one starts.

Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which will operate the new airport, has got the passenger traffic forecast wrong. BIAL’s forecast figure of 10.1 million users by 2010 has already been surpassed by HAL airport, which is handling 10.5 million passengers. The passenger traffic is expected to touch 10.8 million by the end of 2007-08.

BIAL commissioned Lufthansa Consulting (LHC) in 2005 to undertake a revised traffic study given the explosive traffic growth at Bangalore. LHC’s most optimistic estimates projected 10.1 million passengers by 2010. BIAL, more realistically, estimated that passenger traffic in Bangalore would reach 11.3 million in 2015.

“We will cross this mark a few days after the new airport opens, seven years ahead of expectation. The argument, therefore, is that given that every estimate of air traffic over the past several years has proved to be wrong by a significant margin, how can we ensure that BIAL can service the real demand in the city?” says Devesh Agarwal of Bangalore Chamber of Industries and Commerce (BCIC).

The BIAL projection shows a 12.45 per cent annual average growth between 2008 and 2013 in air passenger traffic. “Our projection of 26.26 per cent has become a reality now. BIAL is underestimating growth,” he said.

Agarwal said the existing HAL airport should continue operations. “It is hard to conceive shutting down a working piece of infrastructure like HAL airport and then discovering that demand outstrips supply. Little can be done at that time,” he added.

The IT sector, concentrated in the southern and western parts of Bangalore, has also been emphasising the need to keep HAL airport open considering the distance between Electronics City and Whitefield (in excess of 50 kilometres) and the new airport.

A public interest litigation filed in the high court seeking continuation of HAL airport is also coming up for hearing soon.

However, BIAL authorities said the airport was equipped to handle this additional traffic too. The airport will have 54 counters on the ground and first floors for checking in, booking baggage and collecting boarding passes within 15-30 minutes of takeoffs during non-peak and peak hours.

“Due to the delay in clearance for construction, we have combined the first two phases of capacity building in the terminal to handle 12 million passengers per annum as against the eight million in the first phase. Being modular, the terminal can be expanded over the next three-four years to handle 15 million passengers per annum from 2012,” BIAL CEO Alfred Brunner told the media recently.

With separate gates for arrival and departure, the new airport will operate 30 flights per hour during peak hours, which are normally in the morning for domestic flights and after midnight for international flights.

http://www.business-standard.com/general/printpage.php?autono=315987

While I was very much looking forward to the launch of the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), I think the Ministry of Civil Aviation took a very pragmatic and realistic step by delaying the launch.

I can understand the frustrations of the BIAL consortium, but let us face facts. The CNS-ATM system would not be erected and properly commissioned in time. In total, 59 deficiencies were observed.

The ATM (Air Traffic Management) system is the nerve centre of aeronautical operations at any airport. It has to function without any hitch, glitch, or failure. Part of this system includes air traffic controllers (ATCs), which is why all aviation and safety agencies from ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) to our DGCA, "recommend" (read demand) a 1000 hour (about 42 days) "hot standby" period after the system is installed and the first calibrations conducted. During this "hot standby" period, the system is repeatedly tested and a special aircraft loaded with instrumentation is used.

Despite the constraints at Bangalore HAL airport, it has grown from India's 5th largest airport in 2001, to the 3rd largest airport (yes, we passed Chennai late last year). Thanks to the economic boom, we have tremendous growth in Bangalore's aviation traffic, and the new airport has control on just about 40% of the total airspace of Bangalore. Managing air traffic in this restricted space, is a fine art, that needs experience as well as skill. Expecting brand new ATCs to just walk in and start directing traffic is playing Russian Roulette with the lives of not just those in the air, but also those on the ground.

Most Bangaloreans are unaware, the show case trial flights at BIAL, so prominently featured in the news just a week ago, were in fact, guided in to BIAL, by HAL airport's ATC.

For the airport to launch on March 30th, as originally planned, the BIAL consortium should have delivered the required building infrastructure and air-conditioning plant on time. Today's Deccan Herald has an interesting story with a detailed time line.

I quote from the story “The AAI has informed (the ministry) that… it was the responsibility of the BIAL to design and construct by no later than 180 days prior to the initial commissioning date (ICD-March 30) the ATC facility including control tower, technical block and office accommodation for AAI personnel. Air conditioning at ATC was to be provided 90 days prior to ICD. The BIAL should have handed over the facility by September 30, 2007 and provided AC by December 31. However, the crucial building — technical block — was handed over to the AAI only on February 3, 2008, radar building on December 12, 2007 and AC works completed on March 1.”

Just as a reminder, the AAI is a 13% shareholder in BIAL. Somehow, BIAL, very conveniently chooses to portray its own stake-holder as an external party and tries to transfer the blame, and we equally conveniently choose to accept this masterful stroke of PR!!!!

These extra 42 days provided by the delay, should be used by all the stakeholders productively

• BIAL to complete all its pending works, including the cargo village, police station, etc.
• Government of Karnataka, PWD, BDA, and BBMP to complete the connectivity.
• Government of India should sit BIAL and HAL down together and work out an mutually beneficial arrangement where citizens of Bangalore gain by having the infrastructure of two airports.
• We Bangaloreans, should drive to BIAL, not on a leisurely Sunday, but a busy weekday, and scope out all the roads and time taken to reach the new airport.
  

Let us stop wasting time with political conspiracy theories however salacious they appear.