HAL Bangalore International Airport
| HAL Bangalore Airport | |||||||||||
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| Airport type | Military | ||||||||||
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| Location | Bangalore, Karnataka, India | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,912 ft / 888 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 12°57′0″N 77°40′6″E / 12.95000°N 77.66833°ECoordinates: 12°57′0″N 77°40′6″E / 12.95000°N 77.66833°E | ||||||||||
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HAL Bangalore Airport (ICAO: VOBG), also known as HAL Airport or Hindustan Airport, is an airport located in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Due to its location in the heart of the city, it is the preferred destination for general and business aviation. The airport is also used as a testing facility by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and the Indian Armed Forces. It served as the city's domestic and international airport until 24 May 2008, when it was replaced by the new Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli. There have since been repeated attempts to restart commercial service at the airport.
The airport was constructed in 1940 by Walchand Hirachand, founder of Hindustan Aircraft Company (now Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), as an aircraft manufacturing centre. Two years later, the airport was requisitioned by the British for use by the Royal Air Force in order to protect India from Japan during World War II.
In 1964 the airport was acquired by newly established Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Commercial flights, initially only domestic, began in 1980.
The first international flights from HAL Airport began in 1997. In September 2001, Lufthansa commenced flights between Frankfurt and Bangalore, marking the airport's first nonstop link to Europe.British Airways and Air France followed in October 2005 with flights to London and Paris, respectively. In the same month, Northwest Airlines was to begin the first direct service between Bangalore and the United States, from Seattle via Amsterdam. However, due to the airline's poor financial condition at the time and rising fuel costs, Northwest canceled its plans.
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