Reacting to a news item published in these columns on Sunday, the BIAL said that though the newly laid first runway of the proposed international airport at Devanahalli can receive the superjumbos, infrastructure has to be upgraded for frequent A380 operations.

The news item had stated that the regional Hassan airport, and not the BIAL, will be A380 compliant. “Based on our traffic study and market observation, the A380 will not make an entry into Bangalore on a regular basis for another few years. However, it has been ensured that the basic structure of our airport in geometrical terms is designed according to the A380 (code F).  The width of the runway and the terminal building are designed for Code E (B747). This does allow an A380 to land at our airport. For frequent A380 operations however, the infrastructure has to be upgraded. This is a prudent approach to keep the initial investment at a low level and still ensure that we can cope with future demands”, a BIAL spokeswoman said. She further added that the basic infrastructure already considers the A380 but is specifically made for B747.

She said,“This means that the design elements which cannot be changed later like the runway and taxiway separation, are already done in accordance with  the A380, other specifications like the runway width and the terminal building will be upgraded later. Our runway has a width of 45 metre plus a shoulder of 7.5 m on each side. An A380 is allowed to land on such a runway. As mentioned above, for a regular service of A380, we will upgrade the fist runway or provide the second runway.”