If you had tall expectations from the newly opened Bengaluru International Airport at Devanahalli, you would be disappointed. A visit to the airport, and the image of the much touted world class facility crumbles like a cookie.
The airport is no doubt a welcome relief from the ramshackle HAL airport, but it is still a far cry from what it was portrayed in the glitzy PR blitzkrieg that the management unleashed.
The departure terminal is spacious and roomy, but the absence of adequate number of counters, makes the check-in process an ordeal. Unlike other airports in India, the waiting bay after the security check has a shopping arena, which helps you kill time during flight delays.
But on the flipside, with retail space occupying much of the area, you end up with a claustrophobic feeling. This area could have definitely done with some breathing space. Almost everything about the airport is cramped, including the washrooms.
The food court is nowhere near the snazzy pictures that you were bombarded with during the run-up to the airport’s inauguration. It is no better than the run down food counters that one encounters in shopping malls, teeming with people. You should consider yourself lucky if you find a seat here. The highlight, of course, is the Time Out Bar, which does not serve alcohol!
After a suffocating wait, it a long drive to the aircraft from the departure lounge. One wonders what ever happened to the aerobridges that the management has been crowing about.
And if you thought that flight delays were a thing of the past with the new airport, you are sadly mistaken. One still hears in-flight announcements about air traffic congestion. Was this not the main reason why the HAL airport was closed?
The arrival lounge, however, is one of the best in the country, that is, if you ignore the undue delay in baggage transfer. The coffee shop and the book store, make waiting for a delayed flight a pleasure. But the joy is short lived, for, when you get out of the airport, you realise that the parking system is so badly managed that you will have to wait eternally for your vehicle.
It appears that the airport was opened in undue haste, to beat the deadline. In the process, the management has had to contend with brickbats from all quarters.
In most countries, airports are planned with the future in mind, but the Bengaluru International Airport woefully falls short of even the present day requirements. It is not an airport which is ahead of its times, but one that is behind its times.
COMMENTS
It seems to have become fashionable to cast stones at the new airport in Bangalore. While some issues are justified, others are not. A point I would like to make is, it was the media that hyped the airport, and made it out to be some sort of landmark building in the city. Pictures of interiors made the rounds through email forwards. All this raised expectations. Actually, it is a functional airport.
There is no point in comparing and expecting it to be along the lines of Changi or Heathrow. Neither is there that sort of space or economy to support it. At this rate we will expect the city's Metro to be as efficient and aesthetic as London's tube. Is it possible? Considering the population and economy (who wants to pay a user development fee?), this is as good as it gets.
We need to look at these facilities for their functionality only. Forget about shopping and extravagant food courts. After all, you are not going there to spend an evening.
-B.S. Manu Rao, Bangalore
I do not wish to subscribe to your views on the airport. I happened to use the airport to take off and land, but never felt it was as bad as you mentioned. Probably it will take some time for people to get used to the new airport. Did you notice the change in Albert Brunner's face? He seems to have grown old by a couple of decades! And what for?
-Manohar Yadawatti, Bangalore
It is a third class airport and it will not be appropriate to invite the Prime Minister to inaugurate it when the desired facilities are yet to be in place.
-H.T. Sangliana, MP, Bangalore (North), in The Times of India
2 comments:
Added a link to your post from karnataka.com
It seems to have become fashionable to cast stones at the new airport in Bangalore (Brickbats for Bengaluru airport). While some issues are justified, others are not. A point I would like to make is, it was the media that hyped the airport, and made it out to be some sort of landmark building in the city. Pics of interiors made the rounds through email forwards. All this raised expectations. Actually, it is a functional airport.
There is no point in comparing and expecting it to be along the lines of Changi or Heathrow. Neither is there that sort of space or economy to support it. At this rate we will expect the city's Metro to be as efficient and aesthetic as London's tube. Is it possible. Considering the population and economy (who wants to pay a user development fee?), this is as good as it gets.
We need to look at these facilities for their functionality only. Forget about shopping and extravagant food courts. After all, you are not going there to spend an evening.
Manu
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