Bangalore Inc miffed over closure of old airport

NEW MOVE: Bangalore will have a brand new airport starting next Friday.

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Bangalore: Its official, Bangalore will have a brand new airport starting next Friday. The old HAL airport is to be shut down at the same time. Bangalore's corporate big wigs are not happy with the civil aviation ministry's decision.

They say the city's citizens and business prospects will suffer if the old airport is shut down.

The DGCA has granted the airport the license to operate and it comes along with the civil aviation ministry's decision to shut down the HAL airport after talks to renegotiate the concessional agreement failed.

But Bangalore Inc is miffed. They claim the decision to shut down the old airport will be negative for both business and the citizens of the city.

Biocon Chairperson Kiran Majumdar said, “We believe that unless you keep HAL airport open you are going to create not only a huge gridlock within the city but you will also not be able to address the capacity issue.”

“I personally think that civil aviation ministry has betrayed the people of Bangalore because in any public infrastructure public interest is paramount,” Infosys Board member Mohandas Pai said.

“If this decision is persisted with Bangalore as an investment destination, employment potential moving cargo etc. all this things going to be impacted,” Bangalore Agenda Task Force Former Member V Ravichandar said.

Bangalore's corporate big wigs have joined hands to form Bangalore city connect-an NGO to take up the issue.

They claim the new airport does not have the capacity to handle Bangalore's booming air traffic connectivity to the airport is still a big question.

No real attempt was made to renegotiate the agreement, as the minutes of the renegotiating meeting are not available.

The decision to open the airport on May 23 when courts are in summer recession and the state is still in polls is an attempt to quash any appeal.