The seventeen-year-old wait by Bangaloreans finally ended on Friday night - The swanky new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli became operational when the Indian carrier IC 609 from Mumbai made a touch down at 22:37 pm. "It is a proud moment for Bangalore and Karnataka", exclaimed Infosys employee Sheela Shenoy, the first air passenger to set her foot on the airport, the first phase of which has been constructed at a cost of Rs 2,470 crore. Her fellow passengers, who disembarked from the Indian aircraft, too were all enthused about the new facility that has been added to Bangalore. But what left a majority of the passengers perplexed was the absence of any gala celebrations. An elderly passenger who was greeted by flowers by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) CEO Albert Brunner and other officials on his arrival quipped: "This new airport has created a record of sorts in the country as it has been opened for civil operations minus extravaganza and politicians." Not just the arriving passengers, even the flight crew sported a smile on their faces as they walked out of the new airport. The captain of IC 609 Sunil Vasisht could not hide his excitement. "It is a world-class airport, the air traffic control system was very clear. Professionals are running the ATC and we did not face any problems in landing here. In fact, the landing has been a wonderful experience," Vasisht said. Though the arrival side of the terminal building was full of mirth, the departure lounge saw a few anxious moments as the passengers had to wait till midnight for take-off. The first flight to take off was a Singapore-bound Indian carrier at 00:01 hours with 144 passengers on-board. The relatives and well-wishers of the outbound passengers were all praise for the airport. The glitzy terminal building and the well-lit road leading to it gave many an experience of a having landed in a foreign locale. "After descending the Hebbal flyover, it was a fast drive to the airport. Unlike the HAL airport which is congested, this airport is a different experience," said Snehalatha Ravi, who had come to drop her software professional-son at the airport. Many passengers, though impressed with the facility, were a bit irked on the first day as the check-in counters were to too slow. A R Venkatachalam, an HP executive on his way to Singapore, commented: "If we were not made to wait this long, it would have been a really nice experience." A few other software professionals, especially those working at Whitefield and Electronic City, complained that faster connectivity was still a problem area. They said the existing HAL airport should be allowed to operate flights on short-haul routes.
