Yet another chance for HAL Airport to reopen

Bangalore: A proposal before the High Court suggests the Bangalore International Airport Ltd be given charge of the old airport as well. And though the plan is far from concrete, the bickering has started already
The Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) may run HAL airport, if the government takes up a proposal made before the High Court.
G R Mohan, a lawyer fighting for the retention of the old airport, has submitted before the court that BIAL might run HAL airport in association with Airports Authority of India (AAI) and also share traffic with it.
A two-member bench comprising Justice K L Manjunath and Justice P V Nagarathna is hearing a batch of petitions to re-open the HAL airport.
The Airports Authority of India-run airport was closed in May last year after the new airport at Devanahalli was commissioned, and the employees' union of AAI is one of the petitioners.
"It is an issue of financial viability and BIAL's interest must also be protected once HAL airport in restored," said Mohan. " So, I made this proposal and it is left to the court and the government to decide on it."
A tripartite committee comprising the employees' union of the AAI, AAI, and the ministry of civil aviation had recommended the re-opening of the HAL airport, last July, and the government had forwarded the recommendation to AAI.
Following this the HC had asked AAI to come on record on the action taken. The AAI is expected to make a statement when the court re-opens after vacations in the first week of October.
23/09/09 B V Shiva Shankar/MiD DAY

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Categories: Airports Sep 2009