New H'bad airport faces teething problems

The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad is one of the swankiest airports in India right now. It’s on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The GMR-led consortium has several loose ends to tie up before it is clear skies for the new airport. Ground handling seems to another issue that is snowballing. The developer - GMR- has violated its contract with ground handling agencies, reports CNBC-TV18’s Sandhya Ravishankar.
Just a few days after take off and there is a hitch at Hyderabad's new airport. The international ground handlers of the airport are accusing the airport developer GMR of breaching the contract. The original agreement between the three parties says that GMR cannot outsource ground-handling services to any other company. However, domestic airlines are using their own staff for ground-handling.
The ground handlers are fuming. It's almost Rs 140 crore down the drain. Each company had invested in Euro 3 compliant equipment and had trained their staff along international standards. And now they are forced to keep off the domestic terminal and service only international carriers.
Bobba Menezes and IA-SATS refused to say anything on record. They fear that any legal action from their side will ruin their business prospects in India. But they are angry. GMR, though, says it has little choice in this.
That is not the only issue. The greenfield airport is supposed to use only Euro 3 compliant and battery-operated equipment. But with the airlines taking care of ground services, farm tractors have made their entry into the airport.
The new airport does not have a fully functional air control tower (ATC). Part of the air traffic control operations is still being done at the old Begumpet Airport.
29/03/08 CNBC-TV18

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Categories: Airports Mar 2008, New Mar 2008