A revisit to our airports

When I first started the blog, there was a burning issue that was on the top of national headlines, that of airport modernization, or as the opponents called it, 'privatization.'

I would say since the four months have passed (wow, its only been four months), the positive scale is seemingly greater than the negetive scale. We knew the strike got over, but then Mr. Anil Ambani and his part of Reliance went to High Court of Delhi saying that rules werent followed and that the selection process was highly biased and predetermined. Thats surprising, because we were wondering here if the selection process would ever get over, with committees after committees being formed to finalize a process that should have started many years ago.

Well, the Delhi HC dismissed his case, and now he is going to the Supreme Court. I will wait and see what comes of that, but in the meantime, a lot seems to have happened on the ground for both the Delhi and Mumbai airports.

I think one of the most important agreements that needed to be signed was the 'Operations, maintenance and development' agreements and the shareholders agreements, and they have been signed for both the airports. The initial OMDA is for 30 years, with the option of extending it for another 30 years.

In addition, the list of the Board of directors for the new Delhi International Airport Limited is out, and they have picked up executives from all over the world. They are from Athens, Changi, Hong Kong, Fraport, Malaysia, and the relatives of the owner of GMR group.

Global team to remodel Delhi airport

Papa Stefanou Yanni from Athens airport has been appointed as the chief operating officer (COO) for the joint venture that will manage the Delhi airport.

Bruce Benjamin, who is heading the project management team for GMR’s Hyderabad international airport project, is shifting to Delhi. Originally from Hong Kong airport, Mr Benjamin will be the head of the project management team for Delhi airport.

For the masterplan, which will play a key role in the modernisation of the airport, Thua Chai Teck from Changi airport has been appointed as vice-president at the Delhi airport joint venture. Khong Peck Kim from Changi airport will look at the commercial aspects of the JV. In addition, Fraport is deputing a team of nearly half-a-dozen specialists for the project.

B Srinivas, son-in-law of GMR group chairman GM Rao, has been named as the managing director of the joint venture company, named Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd. GBS Raju, son of Mr Rao, has been named as a member of the group executive council for the project, civil aviation ministry sources said.

According to industry sources, the GMR Fraport consortium has quietly deployed a team of 45 executives in New Delhi to study various aspects of the airport’s operations. An office has been set up in Gurgaon for the JV.

The GMR-Fraport executives posted in Delhi are going though various operational aspects of the Delhi airport including topography, architecture and encroachments. This is necessary to prepare the master plan for development of the airport. The team is also going through hundreds of contracts that the AAI has entered with various vendors for supply of goods and services.

While the GMR-Fraport consortium is expected to retain most of the AAI employees in their current position, key posts would be manned by representatives of the private sector management.

Represented on the board of the JV are Luis Miranda of IDF, Andreea Dina Pal of Fraport and Data Bashir Ahmed Bin Abdul Majid of Malaysia airports.
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The bad news for the rest of us is that the worst of the worst, the illustrous Airports Authority of India will still get to manage the 35 smaller airports that the Government is keen to modernize, according to Praful Patel. Apparently the term modernization doesn't really hit a positive note with governments. For the unions, the term somehow means that they will be shortchanged.

After all the screaming and shouting from these bloody unions and their butt-smoochers, the commies, all their employees will be retained in the new set-up. But heres my question: how do you change the mentality of a government employee given to incompetence and collecting the taxpayers money without anything to show for it?

Heck, for all I know, the employees will probably raise more noises once they have to work their ass off to earn their money. What will the government do then?

Coming to the new greenfield airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad, work seems to be progressing there as well. We know we are wayyy behind schedule on those too, but the good news is that at least things are moving. So fuck you, Deve lowda.

The Bangalore International Airport wasnt the only thing this myopic politician was after. He and his posse were fighting a pitched battle against the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure corridor as well, and you will be happy to know, the Supreme Court cleared the project, while meeting out punishment to the state government and calling their suit as frivolous.

Coming back to the greenfield airports, like I said, works going on smoothly, and you can check out the progress on the respective threads on the Skyscraper City Forum - India section, the link to which is on the right hand side.

But the reason I am so pissed is because of a recent news item that says that the current Bangalore Airport is saturated. And who said it? The current airport handlers, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The situation is such that they have to cut flights now. And this is for an airport that is witnessing a growth of 25%! What does this tell us about the mind of a government organization, and the mind of a politician. It says that they have no vision. Their only concern, always and above anything else, has been the protection of their own turf.

Do you know, when the talks of a new international airport started, HAL opposed it. Why? Because it would take away their income from the current airport. And look at the millions that the city is set to lose now that the flights have been curtailed. These are stories which fills one with fear that India is a lost cause. Because our public administration is a joke, our police is out to protect the rich and politically connected (and to harrass the commons) and the courts are too busy clearing the millions and millions of cases that are backlogged since many decades.

No space, B'lore airport cuts flights

The first impression passengers get after landing at Bangalore airport is it's crowded space. Passengers are left searching for trolleys and there is not one empty chair. The situation in the air is even worse.

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited that runs the Bangalore airport has decided to freeze the number of flights operating out of there.

Considering that air traffic is growing at more than 25 per cent annually, this is bad news for passengers. The Bangalore airport handles 300 takeoffs and landings a day and the authorities feel they can't handle anymore. So the airport management has asked all airlines not to add any flights in or out of Bangalore.

The situation of Bangalore airport is not an isolated case. Unfortunately it represents the condition of airport infrastructure in the country. Airlines are already fighting for parking bays or for space in the airport terminal, but this is a first when an airport is to stop airlines from adding flights.

Ironically this move comes at a time when after years of dilly dalling work on the new Bangalore International airport has taken off. But for people in Bangalore this is maybe a case of too little too late.
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An irony it is, and I hope all those people who lobbied hard to protect their own interests and throw the ambitions of the country into the gutter die without them reaping any benefits of their selfish and yes, anti-national actions.

So finally...............I salute you government of India, true representatives of democracy. You will listen to whoever makes the loudest noise, and you will take your own sweet time doing it. I commend you for your finesse in sidelineing the common man while taking his name in your every speech and every manifesto.

If you are scared your move might hurt the sentiments of a potential vote bank, you will desist from making that move. If that move was important for the progress of the country? I am sorry, I lost you at potential vote bank.

I salute you for your absolute lack of balls in making decisions that will ensure the security and integrity of this country. I salute your knee-jerk reaction to our economic progress, because from what I see, the people of India are leading the revolution, and you are only playing catch-up because you have to, because I sure as hell know you dont want to.