Non-peak hours: Govt for sops to airlines

New Delhi: In the wake of opposition to the proposal to hike airport and navigation charges during peak hours, the government on Tuesday said it was considering offering incentives during lean period for reducing congestion over major metro airports.
"There is no decision yet on whether to charge more during peak hours. But we have to find ways to optimally use the airport capacity and infrastructure throughout the day, especially during the non-peak hours," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said after a meeting with top officials of all leading airlines here.
An official committee, headed by Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla was asked to recommend steps to de-congest airspace during peak time. He had recommended among other things increasing airport and navigation charges during morning and evening hours over Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore airports.
The airline officials, under the banner of Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), also sought continuation of the exemption of withholding tax for leasing aircraft or aircraft engines from foreign sources.
13/03/07 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Mar 2007, General Aviation Mar 2007