The Hindu Business Line : BIA private promoters to meet today

Mr Thomas Kern, CEO of the parent company that manages the Bengaluru International Airport - Unique Zurich Airport (left), and Dr W. Bischoff, Managing Director, Siemens (right), with the Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr B.S. Yeddyurappa, in Bangalore on Wednesday. —

Anjana Chandramouly
Madhumathi D.S.

Bangalore, July 8 Mr Thomas Kern, CEO of the parent company that manages the Bengaluru International Airport - Unique Zurich Airport – met the Chief Minister on Wednesday but the company and government officials played it down as “just a courtesy call.”

The visit comes at a time when the one-year-old airport is still grappling with issues of design and amenities.

Significantly, Mr Kern, as he told Business Line, would also take part in the private promoters’ meeting on Thursday and the board meeting the following day. This is his fourth visit to the city and the first visit to the airport as CEO of Unique Zurich – which has the operations and maintenance contract of the greenfield airport.

The Rs 2,270-crore airport is promoted by the consortium of Siemens Project Ventures, Unique Zurich and L&T, along with minor partners Airports Authority and the state-owned KSIIDC.

Phase 2 put off

The operator company BIAL has put off its ambitious phase 2 plan after air traffic fell from an expected 11.4 million a year to 9.8 million in the first year.

It had also planned an interim ‘express’, low-cost terminal to add capacity but that, too, has been deferred.

Asked when the promoters would take up any of these expansions, Mr Kern said, “There would be a discussion on expansion within the partners. Whenever the expansion needs to be done, it would be done.”

On the airport being faulted for shortcomings in the design, he added, “This has been built as a world-class airport. We are very proud to be involved in this project and to be operating the airport. And I can say that we would be happy to have such an airport in Zurich, given the space and lighting conditions available at BIA.”

However, the board in May approved a small addition to the apron to accommodate 26 more aircraft over the current 42.

The plan to augment the apron is to be finalised and tenders for the works to be given out, according to BIAL’s spokesperson.