Airlines plan sortie against higher airport charges

New Delhi: Airlines are joining ranks against government’s decision to impose higher airport charges in peak hours in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Air India MD V Thulasidas, Kingfisher’s Vijay Mallya, SpiceJet CEO Siddhant Sharma, Air Sahara president Alok Sharma along with senior executives from Jet Airways, Air Deccan, IndiGo and GoAir would call on minister of civil aviation Praful Patel on Tuesday next week, under the aegis of Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), to take up issues relating to imposition of differential airport charges.
Airlines want that any changes in airport charges should be revenue-neutral for the airports while at the same time not burden the carriers with additional costs. They are also in favour of adequate incentives for flying in non-peak hours while enhancing the non-peak time band to certain periods in the afternoon.
The ministry and airline operators have been at loggerheads over the issue of private carriers charging congestion cess of Rs 150 per passenger. The thinking in the ministry has been that private airlines should share some of the additional revenue garnered as a congestion cess with the airport operators.
09/03/07 Sudipto Dey/Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Mar 2007, General Aviation Mar 2007