AIRPORT REPORT: MUMBAI
Navi Mumbai With scope to expand CSIA limited by its location, the Indian government has given the go-ahead for a new international airport to be built on the outskirts of the city.
Named Navi Mumbai International Airport, it will be managed by a private company on a similar model to CSIA. So does Reddy see it as a potential threat? Not at all he says, as Navi is intended to be primarily a domestic airport.
“ It is not going to be a threat at all. We have a very unique situation. Perhaps Mumbai is the only case in the world in which an international airport is rebuilt but because of traffic increases, a new secondary airport is built. Typically, the existing airport is destroyed or turned into a secondary airport.”
Reddy also points out that GVK can bid to also run Navi Mumbai and if this contract was forthcoming“ we would develop it as a complementary airport to the facility we have here and not competing for traffic.”
Bengaluru Bengaluru’ s traffic grew rapidly after its completion, and once again, the Indian government’ s brief was that the private operator should expand the facility and improve services as befitting of an airport that serves as the home of the country’ s burgeoning IT capital which has been described as the Silicon Valley of India.
A year after taking over Bengaluru, operating company Bangalore International Airport Ltd( BIAL) unveiled an ambitious development programme including the expansion of the existing Terminal 1 to cater for 36 million passengers.
Work began in August 2011 at a cost of $ 221 million, and involves the extension of the terminal in both directions with improvements including better access to seating, amenities and commercial facilities and smoother check-in and departure processing. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2013.
“ When we decided to expand Bengaluru, our priority first and foremost was to improve the passenger facility and expand the terminal because there was a dire need for more capacity as it was handling more than 12 million passengers. With the completion of this work, the facilities will be able to handle between 18-20 million,” explains Reddy.
Passengers will also experience“ a next generation of facilities and amenities”, beams Reddy.
Meanwhile, BIAL is pursuing a route development strategy that centres on making Bengaluru the gateway to southern India. In 2011, the airport attracted six new international airlines including Etihad, Tiger, Cathay Pacific and Bangkok Airways.
According to Reddy, BIAL sees IndiGo and Jet Airways as partners who can help develop the airport’ s regional network further.
Indonesia In November 2012, GVK took a step in a new direction with the signing of a contract with Airports Authority of Indonesia( Angkasa Pura Airports) to manage to manage non-aeronautical commercial operations at Bali’ s Ngurah Rai‘ Denpasar’ International Airport under a five-year operations and management contract.
Ngurah Rai is Indonesia’ s second busiest airport after the capital, Jakarta, and is severly congested leading to the need for an overhaul of its facilties.
GVK also has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesian government to develop an international greenfield airport in Yogyakarta in central Java. Reddy is excited about the prospects of both projects.“ The government is very keen on the [ Yogyakarta ] project; there is a lot of potential as a tourism attraction but currently transport is severely limited.”
With GVK’ s already long experience of managing and modernising overcrowded airports into award winning facilities, they should have little trouble with their new Indonesian projects.
AW
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AIRPORT WORLD / JUNE-JULY 2013