Project Report

On the global aviation map

The new state-of-the-art international airport coming up in Hyderabad with its first phase slated to be operational by March 2008 is expected to place the city as a major aviation hub in the country, and even South Asia, reports Priya Krishnaswamy

The aggressive investments from the technological, pharmaceutical and almost every other industry in Hyderabad, has witnessed the city catering to a larger populace of both, national and international business travellers. The rapid makeover of the city, touted as the new IT hub of the South, has forced the administration to ramp up the infrastructure, especially the airport. Work has commenced on the new Rajiv Gandhi International airport at Shamshabad, 30 kms from the city and the first phase is slated to be operational by March 2008.

The new airport will establish Hyderabad prominently in the global aviation map and thereby contribute to the prosperity and development of the region and the country at large. The new airport is being constructed with adequate infrastructure to handle large aircraft and international traffic and also promises to house world-class facilities. Keeping in view the phenomenal growth of over 40 per cent in air traffic in Hyderabad over the past few years, the first phase of the airport estimated to cost close to Rs 2,383 crores will have facilities to cater to 12 million passengers. Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao-led GMR Group is working with the Hyderabad International Airport (HIAL) and a joint venture company called GHIAL is executing the project.

Gateway to the South

The explosion of multinational IT companies with operations headquartered in Hyderabad, the city is in close competition with Bangalore for the coveted title of "Silicon Valley of India."

Says Sanjay Sood, general manager of Taj Banjara, Hyderabad, "With large multinational companies like Oracle and Microsoft, HSBC and Wipro having their operations in Hyderabad, it is imperative for the city to have a better gateway. The new airport will only smoothen all business transactions and will further augment the efficiency of foreign relationships with India." With lots of anticipation, Kuldeep Bhartee, general manager of ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad, says, "The new airport will make a tremendous difference to all areas of international trade and business. In fact, Hyderabad can become the aviation hub for the whole of South Asia. With the pro-active state government, the infrastructure will also be on par with the expected standards." With a population of 7.3 million, Hyderabad is the current place where people are vying to buy and retain pieces of land. The present Begumpeth airport operates about 11 international airlines and eight domestic airlines flying to over 35 destinations. Last year, apart from many domestic carriers increasing their frequency to Hyderabad, even KLM and Lufthansa have done the same. Sood further adds that the recent entrants in the Indian skies are also waiting for the new airport to fall in place so that they can introduce flights to Hyderabad.

Commenting on the new projects near the upcoming airport, Bhartee says, "We are looking for feasible plans around the area. Even though they may not be really close to the airport, expansion is on the cards." Says T Srinagesh, chief operating officer, GHIAL, "Air connectivity has often been cited as one of the main reasons why investments don't pour into our country. Over the years, this factor has improved, especially after the open sky policy, which resulted in the advent of a number of private airlines. The success of implementing the new airport by GHIAL under Public Private Partnership bears testimony to the new era of the Indian aviation scene."

Stone by stone

The landscape design of the new airport to be built on 5,400 acres is by Singapore-based BeltCollins. The landscape master plan promises to be a blend of contemporary architectural style for the passenger terminal building with a strong visual identity through the use of simple yet bold and aesthetic landscape treatments, planting statements and streetscape expressions. GHIAL with its user-friendly modular design of the passenger terminal will initially cover 100,000 sq m of floor space that will ensure rapid transit between its domestic and international concourses. The complex will also have a dedicated 'Airport Village' with a local flavour complete with shops for visitors.

The cargo terminal to be built on a plot size of 3.5 acres in the premises at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore will be equipped to handle 100,000 metric tones of cargo per annum. A new joint venture company between Menzies Aviation (Hyderabad) and GHIAL will be set up to handle the cargo operations. GHIAL's Rs 5.18 billion contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) will see the latter construct the gateway's runway, taxiway and aprons capable of accommodating aircraft up to the size of the A380. "When completed, the project will be one of the most advanced airports in the country, capable of handling modern aircraft like the awe-inspiring A 380s, coupled with a capacity of handling twelve million passengers per annum," stated Srinagesh. L&T will also install the airfield lighting and aviation hydrant systems and construct the fire rescue station, airport roadways and cargo terminal. China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) apart from constructing the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) will install the airport's baggage handling system and a plethora of IT, electrical and mechanical systems associated with the new terminal.

The airport will also be the first one in the country where fuel farm operations, will be undertaken by a private company. This apart, an open access model fuel farm is being set up on the airport premises, which will be the first of its kind in India. Under the model, any oil company can supply fuel to airlines in accordance with an agreement entered into with the latter. GHIAL is setting up a fuel farm consisting of three storage tanks, each with a capacity of 4,500 kilolitres of aviation turbine fuel and hydrant for supply of fuel to the aircraft. Reliance has bagged the contract of fuel farm operations at the airport. GHIAL is also working closely with the government to enable a railway line to connecting important parts of Hyderabad with the airport.