Shamshabad airport: Uncertainty in the air

Hyderabad: Even as the Union government and the management of Shamshabad airport contended on Friday night that the commercial launch of the airport was being deferred because many airlines had sought more time to manage their transition from Begumpet to Shamshabad, the airlines claim that this is not the issue at all.
They contend that there are several unresolved issues that led to the postponement of the launch. "We are willing to operate from any airport that makes our operations viable. But if it is not we can't start off just to keep the airport developer happy,'' a senior official of a low cost carrier said.
"No doubt the project developer has done a wonderful job in executing the project. But, we don't like the way they are shying away from competition," Capt Gopinath of Deccan Airways told STOI. Alluding to the fact that Begumpet airport should remain open, Gopinath says that both passengers and airlines should be given a choice to choose the airport.
Apart from Gopinath, almost all airlines have their own list of complaints against the new airport. "Neither the GMR group nor the government is talking about the implications of the lack of connectivity.
....I can't fly away while the passenger is stuck in a traffic jam. Waiting for a passenger will disturb the entire schedule of an airline with a cascading effect in other centres," executive director of an airline major said.
16/03/08 K V Ramana/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Mar 2008, New Mar 2008