Bangalore International Airport surpasses 250 million passenger count

Radhika Bansal

30 Jun 2022

Bangalore international airport has crossed the 250-million passenger mark in its 15th year of establishment in addition to handling 2-million aircraft movements during the period on June 25, BIAL said on Wednesday, June 29.

The airport, which is now managed and operated by the Canadian NRI Prem Watsa-owned Fairfax, commenced operations in May 2008.

https://twitter.com/BLRAirport/status/1542111087201775616

“Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has achieved a significant milestone by crossing the 250 million passenger mark since the launch of its operations or Airport Opening Day (AOD), during the last weekend of June 2022,'' Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) said in a statement.

It said an additional 50 million passengers travelled from the airport in a span of nearly three years despite the pandemic and consequential slowdown.

Furthermore, the facility also achieved the milestone of 2 million Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) since AOD, making it the fastest Public-Private Partnership (PPP) airport in South India to achieve this milestone, as per BIAL.

Stating that the feat has been achieved on the back of the addition of new carriers in conjunction with the introduction of new routes and rising passenger numbers on existing, BIAL said that the pandemic has meant that traffic growth over the past two years has been slower than usual, Bangalore International Airport a has historically grown very fast.

''Reaching the 250 million milestones reassures us that our customer-centric approach, innovation and technically advanced infrastructure, in conjunction with the introduction of new routes and working closely with our airline partners and other stakeholders have led to consistent growth.”Hari Marar, MD & CEO, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL)

Meanwhile, the BIAL has opened an ultra-luxurious travellers lounge - 080 - to enhance the experience of both domestic and international travellers. The lounge is seen as a significant step by the airport operator to deliver the highest standards of traveller experience at the airport.

The airport has also installed 10 Emergency Oxygen Generators for passengers and airport staff, to provide life-saving support during medical emergencies.

BIAL has opened an ultra-luxurious travellers lounge - 080 - to enhance the experience of both domestic and international travellers.

The timely availability of emergency oxygen at the Departures and Arrivals area could help those experiencing heart attacks, breathlessness, or even fainting.

"This provides 99.7% pure medical-grade oxygen for up to 40 minutes, offering sufficient support until the affected person reaches the hospital," a BIAL release said.

ALSO READ - Bengaluru airport set to open T2 in the first week of October; PM Modi to inaugurate

ALSO READ - Bengaluru Airport Named Best Regional Airport in India and South Asia 

ALSO READ - Bengaluru Airport introduces AI-driven robots to provide an improved passenger experience

Read next

India's booming aviation market to be the focus of ANA & Singapore Airlines' JV

Radhika Bansal

30 Jun 2022

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) believes its potential joint venture (JV) with Singapore Airlines (SIA) can help it tap the booming Indian market. 

The JV was announced in January 2020 and is subject to regulatory approvals. Both carriers are Star Alliance members.

The joint venture agreement is set to focus on services outside of the Japan and Singapore home markets. The changes should instead affect ‘key markets’ in the wider Asian region, such as Australia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia.

India's booming aviation market to be the focus of ANA & Singapore Airlines' JV

Both airlines are Star Alliance members and also have an existing codeshare agreement in place. The existing deal focuses on connecting flights, codeshare flights, lounge access and baggage connections on main routes.

Jun Miyagawa, ANA’s executive VP for alliance and international affairs, told Aviation Week Network that the India market is part of the JV’s scope.

Miyagawa said ANA has focused on the strong China-US transit market over the last 20 years, but this has disappeared following Beijing’s protracted border closure because of the pandemic. 

ANA is now looking at India as a promising transit market and hoping to tap into SIA’s network there. SIA is a major shareholder in Indian airline Vistara Airlines, holding 49%. 

ANA is now looking at India as a promising transit market and hoping to tap into SIA’s network there.

ANA currently does not have a codeshare agreement with Air India, also a Star Alliance member. ANA has been part of JV arrangements with United Airlines and Lufthansa Group since 2011 and 2012, respectively, but does not have a JV partner in Asia. 

“Therefore the JV with Singapore Airlines is key and we hope we can learn from its high service standards and strong business model,” Miyagawa said. ANA’s new long-haul “hybrid carrier” Air Japan will not be part of the JV.

ALSO READ - Singapore Airlines intends to increase flights to India amid strong travel recovery

(With Inputs from RoutesOnline)

Read next

Delhi Airport resumes trial of full-body security scanners at T2

Radhika Bansal

30 Jun 2022

The Delhi airport started conducting trials of a full-body scanner, which detects objects on passengers without any pat-down search, at its Terminal 2 on Tuesday, June 28.

“Full-body scanners can detect non-metal objects, which are hard to detect with the conventional door frame metal detector,” Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a statement. DIAL has installed a full-body scanner at the security check area for trials.

“The trials would be conducted on a real-time basis i.e. passengers would have to pass through it during their security check before moving to the security hold area,” the statement said.

https://twitter.com/DelhiAirport/status/1542121295764402177

Aviation security regulator BCAS had in April 2019 directed 84 hypersensitive and sensitive airports — including the Delhi airport — in India to install body scanners by March 2020, replacing existing door frame metal detectors, hand-held scanners and pat-down searches of passengers to detect metallic objects.

“Walk-through metal detectors and hand-held metal detectors cannot detect non-metallic weapons and explosives,” BCAS had said. “Body scanners detect both metallic and non-metallic items concealed on the body.”

The Airports Authority of India had in 2020 issued a tender to procure 198 body scanners for 63 airports following a circular to the effect by the BCAS, but the civil aviation ministry approved buying only 98.

Aviation security regulator BCAS had in April 2019 directed 84 hypersensitive and sensitive airports — including the Delhi airport — in India to install body scanners by March 2020

The trials of a full-body scanner at the Delhi airport would be carried out for a period of 45 to 60 days, the statement said.

A full-body scanner is used to detect objects without making physical contact with or breaching the privacy of passengers. Officials said full-body scanners can detect non-metal objects, which are hard to detect with the conventional door frame metal detector (DFMD). Each scanner is expected to cost around USD 4 crore, including annual maintenance.

“During this period, feedback of all the stakeholders – the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the airport operator DIAL, and passengers -would be taken, examined, and evaluated,” it said.

The trials of a full-body scanner at the Delhi airport's T2 would be carried out for a period of 45 to 60 days

Upon completion of trials, the findings would be shared with regulatory bodies for evaluation and the further course of action would be decided accordingly.

DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said as an airport operator, DIAL had constantly been working to facilitate easy boarding for passengers, without compromising on security and safety.

“The safety and security of civil aviation is a major concern for all. The CISF has been doing a tremendous job. Now, we have deployed an advanced full-body scanner at the airport, It will not invade passengers’ privacy during security checks and will hardly have any impact on their health. After successful completion of trials, and evaluation of results, DIAL will install more such scanners as per the BCAS directive."Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL)

By using these body scanners, officials said they can reduce the number of random pat-downs and strip searches, thereby speeding up security checks. Door-frame metal detectors will, meanwhile, remain in place for special category passengers such as those who are wheelchair-bound or those who cannot physically pass through the full-body scanners.

Body scanners have been under consideration for more than a decade in India, however, concerns related to privacy, radiation, and false alarms have kept them away from being installed at the airports.

The advanced scanner takes care of passengers’ privacy and hardly has any impact on their health

During the first trials held in December 2016, the body scanners raised false alarms whenever a woman wearing a sari passed through it. In most of the cases, it was found that it was either the mangalsutra (a traditional piece of jewellery that married Indian women wear) or the metallic embroidery on her saree.

ALSO READ - Supreme Court rules in the favour of no removal of differently-abled Prosthetics at airports

ALSO READ - Parliamentary panel call for biometric screening methods at the airports to avoid long queues

The advanced scanner takes care of passengers’ privacy and hardly has any impact on their health. However, conventional detectors will be used at IGIA for special category flyers like those who are wheelchair-bound or cannot physically pass through full-body scanners.

Read next

Vertiports - the key to UAM/AAM infrastructure | How are they different from heliports?

Prashant-prabhakar

30 Jun 2022

A recent study by NASA stated that there could be as many as 500 million drone delivery flights and nearly 750 million air taxi flights annually by 2030.

2021 had been a significant year for the AAM industry as we saw record millions being poured in as investments - just this year, Wisk Aero received $450 million from Boeing to develop eVTOL aircraft and Lockheed Martin Ventures invested in Electra.aero - a pioneer in the development of hybrid-electric ultra-short takeoff and landing aircraft. These are just to name a few.

Representative | eVTOL

While all these sound great, keeping the aspect of safety aside, do we really have the appropriate infrastructure to handle these vehicles and their operations?

A lot of other variables need to be factored in with regards to air management systems, security protocols, emergency services, and regulatory frameworks as well, that would support safe, affordable, sustainable flights.

Business leaders, engineers, designers, regulators, and all other concerned parties will have to collaborate to ensure the safe and seamless integration of AAM with existing infrastructure.

Bringing the public and private sectors together is crucial  “because the public sector, in the end, is going to want to use these systems. New corridors are emerging, whether it’s for a 55-pound drone carrying medical supplies or cargo-carrying type aircraft that are heavier.Said Lisa Peterson, VP of Business Development at Airspace Link at a recent Commercial UAV News webinar

Vertiports are the basic enablers of Urban and Advanced Air Mobility (UAM/AAM), facilitating the movement of people and goods more rapidly and efficiently than traditional transport infrastructures.

Air One Vertiport- World's first Vertiport in Coventry, UK | Representative | FLYING Magazine

"Vertistops" is yet another term coined and they would serve only for drop-off and pickups, while vertiports would be somewhere where the aircraft could recharge (electric aircraft), refuel (hydrogen aircraft), and pass through maintenance.

How are they different from heliports?

A heliport is a small airport suitable for helicopter use and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars.

EASA issues the world's first design specifications for vertiports

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has published the world’s first guidance for the design of vertiports and the ground infrastructure needed for the safe operation of Urban Air Mobility services such as air taxis in locations across Europe, including in urban areas.

Urban air mobility is a completely new field of aviation and we therefore have a unique opportunity to develop a set of infrastructure requirements from scratch. With the world’s first guidance for safe vertiport operations, EASA’s ambition is to provide our stakeholders with the ‘gold standard’ when it comes to safe vertiport design and operational frameworks. By harmonising design and operational standards for vertiports we will support European industry, who are already starting to embark on exciting projects in Europe and around the world to make new urban air mobility a realityPatrick Ky, Executive Director of EASA said

Representative | easa.europe

One notable innovation is the concept of a funnel-shaped area above the vertiport, designated as an “obstacle-free volume”. This concept is tailored to the operational capabilities of the new VTOL aircraft, which can perform landing and take-off with a significant vertical segment.

Depending on the urban environment and on the performance of certain VTOL-capable aircraft, omnidirectional trajectories to vertiports will be also possible. Such approaches can more easily take account of environmental and noise restrictions and are more suitable for an urban environment than conventional heliport operations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_fsxgWIENI&list=PLTfS24aKkJn63dwU2mF0nX4kjUtr9QFeU&index=6

EASA | Youtube

Heliports-how are they any different?

Regulators calculate the size of a heliport by using the rotor diameter to calculate the Touch-Down and Lift-Off area (TLOF), the Final Approach and Take-Off area (FATO), and the safety area—a defined area surrounding the FATO intended to reduce the risk of damage to aircraft accidentally diverging from the FATO.

Canadianaam

 AAM VTOL aircraft, being different from helicopters, regulators will probably use the maximum dimension of the VTOL rather than the rotor diameter to calculate the size of the vertiports.

Representative | eVTOL

A lot goes into the designing of vertiports because of their dynamic operations. Vertiports would require charging ports and hence one key consideration is access to electricity. Handling multiple eVTOLS would require vertiports to have their substation. That said, building substations could be trickier and harder than ‘gas stations'.

Helicopters, on the other hand, aren't electric and hence that eliminates the need for access to electricity/charging points. A heliport has support facilities such as fuel, "hangaring" and attendants.

Elevated rooftop helipads and heliports | Representative | Aluminium Offshore

All international standards have space requirements (both on land and in the air) for an obstacle-free area for the aircraft to land and takeoff. The standards for touchdown area sizes (the pad itself) are generally predicated on the size of the aircraft landing gear footprint or the rotor diameter.

The obstacle-clear areas surrounding the touchdown area are generally determined by a multiplier of the aircraft’s overall length or rotor system size. They can vary from an open area of 64? x 64? for a small two-seat helicopter to 109? x 109? for a medium twin-engine helicopter and up to several acres for facilities serving multiple aircraft.

How safe are heliports or vertiports?

Safety is paramount in aviation. The FAA, with its data and that of the National Transportation Safety Board, conducted a study that calculated that an accident had the frequency of occurring once every 432 years - this was done by looking at the relative risk a community had about a helicopter landing area.

Representative | eUAS News

Summarizing, it could be said that vertiports and heliports are stopping points for VTOL aircraft. Ideally, they would be located on top of buildings, open areas, or airports. Both can serve as a quick-stops-loading and unloading, or as a longer stay for recharging (electric aircraft), refuelling (hydrogen or fossil fuels aircraft) and maintenance.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: American Aerospace

Read next

Cash-strapped SpiceJet plans to take delivery of 7 Boeing 737 Max

Radhika Bansal

30 Jun 2022

SpiceJet Ltd. is planning to take delivery of at least seven Boeing Co. 737 Max jets this year, according to people familiar with the matter, amid speculation the no-frills Indian carrier may not have enough cash to make pre-delivery payments.

The airline—the only operator of Max jets in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market—will add the planes in the three months through December, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. The carrier is also negotiating for five more 737 Max jets, the people said.

SpiceJet ordered 155 of the jets with an option for 50 more in a USD 22 billion deal with Boeing back in 2017 and has 13 of the aircraft in its fleet currently.

Cash-strapped SpiceJet plans to take delivery of 7 Boeing 737 Max

While it’s unclear why the airline didn’t restart deliveries for close to a year after Indian regulators allowed the Max to fly again in August 2021 following two deadly crashes, people familiar said the relationship between the US planemaker and SpiceJet has soured.

Any transaction that would see SpiceJet begin taking deliveries again would therefore potentially be good news for Boeing in India, given its only customers with orders are SpiceJet and startup Akasa, which isn’t flying yet.

Clawing back market share is crucial to break Airbus SE’s stronghold, fortified by the nation’s top airline, IndiGo, being the biggest buyer of its best-selling A320neo jets.

SpiceJet ordered 155 of the jets with an option for 50 more in a USD 22 billion deal with Boeing back in 2017 and has 13 of the aircraft in its fleet currently.

A representative for SpiceJet said the airline will receive new 737 Max jets based on “mutually agreed” timelines from Boeing.

SpiceJet is in “advanced” discussions with lessors to induct additional Max aircraft to strengthen its “operational efficiencies and product performance,” the airline said in a statement. It added that Boeing will support active progress toward securing financing and deliveries through various lessors.

In a statement, a representative for Boeing said the planemaker continues to partner closely with its current and potential customers to support their fleet and operational requirements.

The debt-laden carrier in 2021 resorted to paying employees based on their hours worked and deferred salaries for some.

Taking deliveries of new planes would also be a coup for cash-strapped SpiceJet, which has lost money for the last three fiscal years. The debt-laden carrier in 2021 resorted to paying employees based on their hours worked and deferred salaries for some.

SpiceJet was trimming some of its losses by booking other income on the amount it expected to get in compensation from Boeing for not being able to fly the Max planes.

SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh said in November that Boeing agreed to compensate “in cash and in-kind” for the losses the airline incurred due to the grounding of 737 Max jets, without disclosing any amount.

ALSO READ - DGCA fines SpiceJet with INR 10 lakh for using the faulty simulator to train B737 Max pilots

ALSO READ - SpiceJet claims to have no impact on operations after 90 pilots barred from flying B737 MAX

Earlier in November 2021, the CMD of the low-cost airline, Ajay Singh said that SpiceJet plans to induct 50 ‘737 Max’ planes of Boeing into its fleet by December 2023. He had expected that the company would receive its 14th MAX by December 10 last year.

ALSO READ - SpiceJet aims to have 50 Boeing 737 MAX jets by 2023

SpiceJet plans to induct 50 ‘737 Max’ planes of Boeing into its fleet by December 2023.

The airline is also looking at expanding its international operations using the 737 MAX. Possible destinations on the cards include Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. Additionally, the airline is exploring scheduled long-haul services, including Canadian and European destinations, using widebody aircraft.

Earlier this year, SpiceJet posted a surprise profit, despite struggling in the previous months. But close inspection of its finances revealed that it was aided massively by its lodging of ‘other income’ for the value of USD 55.2 million – money attributed to the compensation from Boeing for the MAX delays.

(With Inputs from Bloomberg)

Read next

Barclays, Aditya Birla Finance, NIIF Fund provide INR 1,000-crore debt to Delhi Airport

Radhika Bansal

29 Jun 2022

Barclays Bank, Aditya Birla Finance and a fund owned by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) have provided an INR 1,000-crore debt facility to Delhi Airport (Delhi International Airport Limited - DIAL), people aware of the transaction said.

The trio invested in five-year bonds of the GMR Group-promoted company wherein a 9.52% coupon would be paid for the first three years and 9.98% for the remaining two years, they said.

Barclays Bank invested INR 500 crore, Aditya Birla Finance invested INR 150 crore, and Aseem Infrastructure Finance, a NIIF fund, invested INR 350 crore, they said. Barclays confirmed the development.

Barclays, Aditya Birla Finance, and NIIF Fund provide INR 1,000-crore debt to Delhi Airport

ICRA Ratings had assigned an A+ rating to the INR 1,000-crore bonds on May 27. According to the information memorandum, DIAL must pay a 25 basis point higher coupon if the credit rating is downgraded below 'A'. However, there is no step up if the rating is lowered by one notch from 'A+' to 'A'.

DIAL had raised INR 3,257 crore in rupee bonds at 10.96% by the end of March 2021 due to a significant decline in the internal accruals caused by the Covid-related disruptions.

Proceeds from the latest debt facility would be used to finance the increase in interest payments during construction, resulting from revised Capex timelines and one-time drawdown estimated at INR 950-1,000 crore of the bond raised in March 2021, ICRA said.

GMR Infrastructure in a statement on Monday, June 27 had said the proceeds of the bonds would be used to part-finance phase 3A expansion programme of the airport.

GMR Infrastructure's latest annual report for FY21 stated that Phase 3A expansion includes expansion of Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, construction of a fourth runway along with enhancement of airfields, and construction of taxiways, which will expand the capacity of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport to 100 million passengers annually.

GMR Infrastructure holds a 51% stake in GMR Airports, which in turn holds a 64% stake in DIAL. Airports Authority India has a 26% stake in the airport while Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide (Fraport) holds the remaining 10%.

ICRA had stated that DIAL is exposed to high refinancing risk given that it has a large bullet repayment of INR 3,257 crore falling due in 2025-26, INR 3,494 crore due in FY27 INR 1,000 crore in FY28, and INR 3,500 crore in FY30.

ALSO READ - Delhi Airport becomes the first airport in India to run entirely on hydro and solar power

(With Inputs from The Economic Times)

Comment