Aerobridges still grounded, get wet before flying

BHOPAL: Ambitious aerobridge project at Raja Bhoj airport in Bhopal that promised to pitchfork flyers to the terminal after touchdown without the treacherous trek through sun and rain has missed its July 20 deadline. And this because heavy rain lashing the city triggered massive waterlogging, forcing construction work to stop. So, flyers will have to get drenched before touchdown or take-off with the deadline extended to middle of August.
Aerobridges are enclosed, movable connectors which extend from an airport terminal gate to an aircraft and allow air passengers to zip across from terminal building to aircraft without getting exposed. Currently, the project is being handled by an Indonesian company. Two aerobridges, which are already lying at the airport, will be erected, according to the blueprint.
Ramjee Awasthi, an engineer supervising the construction, said, "Incessant rain for last couple of days has made it impossible to continue work. Water seeped into the foundation and delayed work. Though work has resumed, it had to be stopped again due to waterlogging."
Awasthi said if all goes well, foundation work will be complete by July 31. "After aerobridges are in place, a team from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will visit the airport to test the structures," Awasthi said.
First floor of the airport terminal will also be operational once construction of aerobridges is complete. The facility would be available only for bigger aircraft. "They cannot be used for ATR aircraft," Awasthi said. Currently, Air India and Jet Airways operate eight domestic flights daily from Bhopal airport. Ventura is providing air taxi services to couple of destinations within the state from Bhopal airport.
"Aerobridges would have been a big boon during the monsoon. The situation worsens as carriers do not provide vehicles to reach the terminal," said a Bhopal-based businessman Vikas Sharma. He said work should have been completed before the monsoon.