(15.11.2007) Opening of passenger loading bridges – the first step to the planned airport extension
The Bratislava Airport has completed the preparations for the accession of the SR to Schengen
Bratislava. Today, in the presence of Mr. Ľubomír Vážny, the minister of transport, posts and telecommunications, the addition of the complex of passenger loading bridges has solemnly been put in service at the facility Letisko M.R.Štefánika – Airport Bratislava, a.s. (BTS). By a symbolic cutting of the ribbon together with Mr. Karol Biermann, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the M.R. Štefánika Airport, the preparatory works for the accession of the SR to the Schengen area at the Bratislava Airport have been concluded.
The passenger loading bridges represent an important change at the Bratislava Airport. They are related not only to the requirement of the Schengen Accession Commission to separate the flow of departing passengers flying to the countries within the Schengen area and the countries outside the Schengen area. By the construction of these bridges the airport has operatively resolved also other security requirements on the departure terminal such as the collision-free movement of departing passengers over the local service road which serves for the conveyance of baggage, catering, movement of service machines, etc. At the same time the capacity problem, by enabling the passengers waiting in the transit hall, which have already passed the passport control, to proceed to the area of bridges (which serve also as the so-called "gates"), is partially being resolved. In this way the whole transit hall will be freed for complementation of commercial services, the lack of which is a long-term problem of the Bratislava Airport. Furthermore, the structure construction is designed so as to provide the passengers with a view at the airport's runways through the glassed walls and enable them in this way to observe what is happening in connection with the operation of international airport. From the area of bridges the passengers will comfortably and with a so-called "dry foot" get by means of buses to their plane.
From the requirements of the EU Commission to the implementation
The EU Commission for implementation of the Schengen requirements on the international airports with Mr. Thomas Knötzer, an Assessment Commissioner of the EU, at the head, has elaborated, in February 2005, a report on the requirements on the Bratislava Airport. From the said report for the M. R. Štefánika Airport resulted the need to construct a number of structures and to carry out certain reconstruction works in various stages. In May 2005 the airport presented the engineering designs and the construction works time schedule. These designs, among others, reckoned with the construction of one passenger loading bridge. In 2006 the initial design was extended by a second passenger loading bridge with additional exits, the so-called "gates". By execution of extended designs the Airport has ensured not only the conformity with the Schengen criteria but has achieved an increase in the terminal hourly handling capacity and the extension of commercial premises as well.
All modification and reconstruction works have been designed so as to enable to increase, in stages, the airport's capacity from the current two million passengers to 3.2 up to 3.4 million passengers annually, which is the forecast by the year 2010-2011, when there should be another new premises for handling of passengers and baggage completed at the Bratislava Airport.
Handing over in due time
The primary function, which the passenger loading bridges at the Bratislava Airport are supposed to fulfil, is the securing of conformity with the EU requirements on the airport of the Schengen type. Since the beginning the whole construction was circumscribed, from the time point of view, by the official time schedule of the accession of the SR in the Schengen zone, in the sense of which the construction works on the final stage of Schengen modifications had to be completed by 30.9.2007. The selected Contractor for construction works had commenced with the first excavations on the passenger loading bridges in May 2007 and the Works were handed over for inspection and structure approval proceedings on 30.9.2007. So that means that the Airport has succeeded to carry out extensive modifications and reconstructions of structures including the finishing works in less than 6 months, and that under the full operation, even during the peak summer season of the principal international airport of the Slovakia.
The investment cost, including the design documentation is SKK 170 million, whereas this sum will be partially reimbursed (about SKK 81 mill.) to the Airport from the Schengen Intermediate Fund.
Larger handling capacity, new airport ground side control
The passenger loading bridges are in trial operation already for some weeks. The competent airport departments now monitor the continuous flows of passengers, the occurrence of eventual delay spots, etc., and to that is being adjusted the arrangement of seats, greenery and other elements of interior. The last step before the official putting of bridges in service will be the removal of party walls of glass, which today fence the "gates" and shifting of four desks of electronic registration of boarding cards to the line of the former building and passenger loading bridges. In this way, there will be four new exits - "gates" B1 to B4, with own pre-departure waiting premises that will emerge in bridges as such. An open area, ideal for extension and modernization of commercial services, will be created within the former transit hall. Through this part of the departure terminal B the Bratislava Airport can handle without any difficulties four departing planes with the capacity of Boeing 737 at the same time, or more than 400 departing passengers in one hour.
There are also completely new and modern premises for the needs of the airport ground side control of the Bratislava Airport, that have been created over passenger loading bridges in the height of 9.5 metre, since the existing premises no longer provide sufficient view on runways, aircraft stands, service roads and other pavements. There will be the premises for the workstation of operative airway traffic control situated under the control facility. The area of the transit hall itself will be extended by approx. 450 m2 to the detriment of the former "gates".
Extension of services in transit hall
Since 1.4.2008, when also the Slovak international airports including the Bratislava Airport will become the part of the Schengen area and the whole operation will be governed by the Schengen rules, the existing bridges and the departure part B will be used by the passengers flying to countries outside the Schengen area. In this way an area for the extension of services exactly to these passengers will be created in the freed adjacent transit hall, so as to create in this way adequate conditions in comparison with the passengers within the Schengen area.
Further construction and extension of commercial premises is also planned for the future in the departure part A, which will serve to the passengers flying to countries of the Schengen area without the obligation to go through the passport control. All other reconstructions of the departure terminal are part of the Bratislava Airport development concept, which is currently subjected to decision taking process, and which will be soon introduced to the public by the shareholders of the joint-stock company Letisko M.R. Štefánika – Airport Bratislava, a.s. (BTS).
With kind regards,
Zora Kalousková
PR Manager
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