The Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) is understood to have resigned to a month’s delay in the opening of the airport’s commercial operations but wants the formal inauguration by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as scheduled on March 28.

BIAL CEO Albert Brunner, who is now in Switzerland, was said to have spoken to senior civil aviation ministry officials such as Secretary Ashok Chawla on this issue. While the ministry has not given any categorical response to this, Deccan Herald has learnt that officials informed Brunner that this request would be considered.

The ministry would shortly write to the BIAL informing it that there would be delay of at least four weeks because of the issues relating to the CNS-ATM (communication, navigation and surveillance — air traffic management) at BIAL.

Reacting to newspaper reports that the airport launch would be delayed, BIAL had on Tuesday stated that it had not received any communication from the ministry. The scheduled date for commercial launch of the airport is March 30.

The BIAL, it is said, is keen for a launch on that day or a few days later at least partially. However, the ministry informed Brunner that it was not possible since the ATC would be installed in full but the air traffic controllers’ training would not be completed by then. The ministry would not like to take any chances when it came to safety, he was told.