Take-off delays may now attract a fine

Mumbai: The civil aviation ministry plans to fine airlines that delay take-offs over late arrivals of pilots, cleaning aircrafts and boarding passengers, at busy and congested airports in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.
For almost a year now, all of the country’s private airlines have been levying a congestion fee of Rs150 on each ticket to offset the cost of fuel spent while circling over airports awaiting clearance to land.
But, after a public litigation in the Delhi High Court earlier this year sought a waiver of the congestion chanrge, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation conducted a study at airports and found that the airlines were partly to blame for congestion. Deccan Aviation Ltd run-Air Deccan and National Aviation Co. of India Ltd or Nacil-run Air India (the new name for the combined Indian Airlines and Air India) had the most delayed flights in the periodof the study.
“If they can charge a congestion fee,” said civil aviation minister Praful Patel, “they can have a congestion fine (too).” Patel did not specify the quantum of the proposed fines.
12/10/07 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Categories: Airports Oct 2007, General Aviation Oct 2007, New Oct 2007