Airport with Sickness

Airport with sickness

If you are researching on how not to build an airport a classic example would be the BIAL airport which is much hyped and debated for its world class infrastructure facility.

I was one among those who had flew from HAL Airport to Male on its last day of its operation, that is 24^th of May. The reality hit me when the Air India IC 965 made the irritating noise- same old music, and I realised that it was time to say adios to the 45 year old HAL Airport. It was a rare synthesis of great intellect and total personal inslovent, that I will not be coming back to this Airport again. Back then I had a rough sketch of the new airport from whatever information I got through the media. The mind that has engaged unhasitatingly, with its changing realities, often anticipating the way things have moved in the last few months.

After the four day stay at Male when I flew back, the captian announced, “we are happy to announce that we will be landing at the new , Bangaluru International Airport”, my old sketch of brand new Air Port refreshed itself in my mind.

The good news is that, much hyped, politically delyed and regionally feared Bangalore International Airport is now operational. The bad news is that it took me more than 45 minutes to come out of the airport after landing. Later I came to know that one of the aerobridges was not working.

The entire Airport looked like a block of hollow concrete brick add to it flawed design and bad colour combination- in short, aesthetically challenged. No exciting forms-its just a block shaped building with lots of glass glued onto it. Inside the Airport, therei is not much space to sit and relax. And whats more, you have only 4 urinals in the airport, and suddenly if you feel like it, there is no easy way out, you will have to wait your turn.

The graphic inside takes gives you a feel of an old government offices built without any archtectural sense. The signage and the other info graphics are very badly done, with no element of astetic value. Most of our Airport space is occupied by the luxury brands. You can easily mistake the First floor of the Airport with the Forum Mall. I did not see anything that reflects Indian architecture, which represents our core values; or which tells the world, that we are no longer a developing nation.

The man at the immigration counter, who scrutinized my passport rather throughly,posed a philosophical question, infact I must say that he reminded me that it is a new Airport. Well that practical issue was eventually resolved. I stood their as on darkling plain, swept with confused alarms of struggle and flights, where ignorant politicians clash by nothing. Haa..They could have done better. Indeed the sense of urgency they have shown to get it operationla had no reasons. We were fighting for only name, not for the handicaped inaguration. Our protests have been misread and not met too. Still it is Bangaluru International Airport, not Kempe Gowda International AirPort