The India Zone

Bangalore's HAL Airport (IATA code: BLR) is India's fourth busiest and functions as both a domestic and international airport. Direct flights from Bangalore fly to destinations in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The liberalisation of India's economic policies has led to increase in the number of domestic carriers within India, with several carriers such as SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways and Go Air servicing the city. Air Deccan, with its hub in Bangalore, has the most number of flights into and out of Bangalore.

Unlike most airports in the country which are controlled by the Airports Authority of India, the quasi government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited owns and operates Bangalore's HAL Airport, and also uses it to test and develop fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The dual-vested interests in the airport along with an increase in air traffic to Bangalore led to a prolonged tussle for operational ownership between the HAL and the Government of Karnataka.

In 1991 plans for a large-scale Bangalore International Airport were conceived; however, the project was repeatedly delayed due to red tape and friction between the private companies involved and the state government. Clearance for the construction of the US$ 288 million (Rs. 1,300 crore) airport was eventually granted in June 2004, with Siemens AG, Zürich Airport and Larsen and Toubro as its major private stakeholders. Construction work on the airport began in July 2005.

This new International Airport is coming up in Devanahalli, 31 km North of Bangalore, and is likely to be operational by April 2008. Also, the construction of the 6-lane Bangalore-Devanahalli expressway is underway, and most parts are nearly complete. This enables HGVs to bypass the city centre if they are en route to other destinations and has helped ease congestion in the centre, although the volume of traffic is still a problem many residents have complained about.

Autorickshaws are a popular form of public transportBangalore is well connected to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways. The Rajdhani Express connects Bangalore to New Delhi. The city is also connected to Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, as well as other major cities in Karnataka. An intra-city rapid rail transport system called the Namma Metro is being developed and is expected to be operational in 2011. The Bangalore Metro, once ready, will encompass a 33 km (20.5 mi) elevated and underground rail network, with 32 stations in Phase I and more being added in Phase II.

Three-wheeled, black and yellow auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are a popular form of transport. They are metered and can accommodate up to three passengers. Taxi service within Bangalore is provided by several operators commonly referred to as City Taxis and can take in up to four passengers and are usually metered and relatively more expensive than auto-rickshaws. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates a fleet of 3,207 BMTC public buses, servicing an average of 2,800,000 commuters. BMTC also has about 34 Low Floor, Air Conditioned Volvo buses on major routes and has plans to introduce another 1000 by the end of 2007. The new additions to BMTC is its "Pink Buses" meant for women passengers alone.