BENGALURU: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) touched a new high as the first in the country to facilitate simultaneous landing and takeoff of aircraft with the opening of a second runway on Friday.
An aircraft took off from the 4,000 meters long South Runway Friday evening, with plans by KIAL to gradually scale up the number of operational flights on the new runway. It would initially have CAT-I certification, and progressively manage CAT IIIB operations, enabling landing and takeoff in extremely low visible conditions.
Mr Hari Marar, MD & CEO, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), remarked "It is a historic day for us at BLR airport as we commenced operations on the new runway. Our first runway opened 11 years ago, and became a linchpin for the region's economic development during the last decade. With the aviation industry in India set for exponential growth, two operational runways will provide the thrust required to cater to this demand and further bolster growth of Karnataka and India. The opening of this key infrastructure is the outcome of phenomenal collaboration amongst various stakeholders and implementation of processes and procedures developed through advanced simulations and assessments. The new runway will further bolster our vision to transform BLR Airport into the new gateway to India."
With safety being topmost, BIAL has built an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Station equipped with state-of-the-art Crash Fire Tenders (CFTs) to cater to any fire-related emergencies on the South Runway.
