Airport chaos hits Bangalore

14 Mar 2008 | 08:05 GMT

By Our man in Bangalore

THE NEW BENGALURU airport is supposed to open at the end of this month but now it looks like it will probably be May at the earliest before it happens.

Unlike the old Bangalore airport, the new one is inconveniently situated a long way away from the business section of this city.

For example, say Intel's Craig Barrett came to see his Bengaluru empire like a latter day Tipu Sultan, he could be picked up in his limo on Airport Road, be in the Leela Kempinski in 10 minutes. In the morning, the limo could head up Airport Road, do a u-turn, and he'd be in an Intel office.

No such luck with the new airport. The roads aren't ready, the air traffic control isn't ready, and the dream of the Bengaluru metro rapid transit system is hidden behind boards on some roads with no one quite sure if anything is going on.

Here's the problem with the new airport. It might take two hours in theory to get from Bengaluru to Mysore, but when you hit the outskirts of this city, you can add an extra one and a half hours onto the journey across town, because the traffic is horrendous.

Some people, apparently, start their journey to work at 3AM, because that way you can get to work on time. The autorickshaw drivers here are a surly lot and negotiations for a short fare generally involve high tariffs with the meter just a notion and the bumpy ride a wake up call for you if you've got a hangover.

According to the Times of India, the new date for the new airport is set for May 11th, which coincides with planned state elections. Employees at airports across India tried for a go-slow earlier this week, but called it off yesterday after they were told they'd be consulted about future airport closures.

There's a new airport opening in Hyderabad too. It's kind of like a competitive desperation derby with Bangalore and Hyderabad vying to be first.

The Times quotes a director of the Asian Institute of Transport D evelopment as saying Old HAL should stay open because the new one will be congested on day one. Keep HAL open until everything is ready, said Tulsi Kesherwani.

We reckon May is an optimistic date for the new airport to open.

So Craig Barrett and Paul Otellini can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for the time being.

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