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— G.R.N. Somashekar

Mr Albert Brunner, Chief Executive Officer, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, addressing a press conference at BIAL near Devanahalli, in Bangalore on Wednesday.

Our Bureau

Bangalore, May 21 The last word on when the Bengaluru International Airport will really open is probably yet to be said.

Even as the operator company was winding up a media briefing on Wednesday about the transition to Devanahalli on the midnight of May 22-23, the Ministry of Civil Aviation sounded it out that the airport would take off a day later — on the 24th.

The Rs 2,500-crore BIA, completed in 33 months from July 2005, has so far seen three delays: March 28; May 11; May 23 and now to May 24.

The anti-climactic development was reminiscent of what happened to another greenfield project — the Hyderabad airport, in March: its operations were postponed even as it ended a celebratory inauguration by Ms Sonia Gandhi.

Official sources said it was decided on the advice of the Chief Election Commission as Karnataka’s third and last phase of voting for the assembly elections ends on Thursday. Commenting on the sudden notification, Mr Albert Brunner, CEO, Bangalore International Airport Ltd, said, “We are taken by surprise. In fact, we have just closed a press conference communicating our preparedness for tomorrow. However, there is nothing we can do at this point. All our efforts are now towards minimising passenger and airline inconvenience owing to this postponement.”

BIAL requested passengers to contact its information centre 40581111 for clarification and change of date.

Its statement said, “BIA has just received notification from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.” According to the notification, “The Central Government hereby notifies that the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli would be commissioned with effect from 00.01 hours on May 24, instead of w.e.f. 00.01 hours on May 23 as notified earlier.”

The change-over of all commercial air traffic from the HAL airport to the Devanahalli airport, some 40 km to the north off NH7, would now take place just past the intervening midnight of May 23-24 (00:01 hours on May 24). All flights landing and departing after midnight will operate from the new airport and flights arriving before midnight (on May 23, 2008) and departing after midnight would also operate from the new airport.

Officials at the HAL airport said they had no formal communication about the new date. “However, we are ready and available to handle the commercial traffic for one more day,” one of them said.

More Stories on : Infrastructure | Airlines | Karnataka

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