The New South Parallel Runway (NSPR) at Kempegowda International airport, Bengaluru that began its construction in the mid of 2018, is now open for its scheduled flight operations.
The announcement came on Friday, December 6, 2019, following the nod given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Indian government regulatory body for civil aviation under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
As of now, the clearance is given just for departures at the new runway, which may be a 4,000-metre-long and 45-meter wide airstrip.
The first flight was Indigo flight 6E 466 to Raipur via Hyderabad, which took off from the runway at 16.37 (local time), and Emirates EK 563 to Dubai was among the first international flight to depart.
This second runway is equipped with twin parallel taxiways, cross-field taxiways and fast exit taxiways, aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station, and state-of-the-art Crash fire Tenders (CFTs) for fire-related emergencies. Over 100 firefighters were recruited from across the state and skilled fire engineers from National fire Safety school, Nagpur, to strengthen the firefighting squad.
Hari Marar, chief executive officer, and managing director, Bengaluru International airport (BIAL) said, “Our 1st runway opened 11 years ago, and have become a linchpin for the region’s economic development throughout the last decade. With the aviation trade in India set for exponential growth, 2 operational runways can offer the thrust required to cater to this demand and additional bolster the expansion of Karnataka and India.”
"It is a historic day for us at #Blrairport, as we commenced operations on the new runway. This will further bolster our vision to transform Blr Airport into the new gateway to India", says @HariMarar, CEO and Managing Director, BIAL. pic.twitter.com/nJkxRlO5ZP
— BLR Airport (@BLRAirport) December 6, 2019
He added, “It may be a historic day for us, as we commenced operations on the new runway. this will further bolster our vision to remodel Bangalore International airport into the new gateway to India.”
The field officers also said that BIAL becomes the first airport in India to possess 2 independent runways, enabling aircraft to land or take-off at the same time on each runway.
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