Parking-bay crunch set to hit domestic airlines

Mumbai: Domestic airlines are facing an acute shortage of parking bays at airports. There are around 200 parking slots at domestic airports and work is under way to construct 60 bays by the Airports Authority of India.
But, there is still a shortfall of over 250 bays. The situation will worsen the fleet sizes of domestic carries are expected to double from 213 to over 400 by 2010.
New entrants like Bangalore-based Paramount Airways operates with a fleet of three aircraft, and plans to add 20 more in the next two years.
Indigo, which is the latest entrant in the aviation sector, has ordered 100 Airbus A320s. Air-Deccan’s fleet strength is expected to go up to 53 aircraft by the year-end. Spicejet currently has nine aircraft and is expected to add 26 more.
Though master plans have been drawn up for modernising the Mumbai and Delhi airports, for other metro and non-metro cities, it will take more than three years to upgrade the existing infrastructure as aircraft manufacturers will start delivering to operators by the year-end.
12/03/07 Shaheen Mansuri/Financial Express

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Categories: Airports Mar 2007