Low cost carriers to face tough time during winter fog

New Delhi: Low cost carriers operating out of terminal 1D might have a rough time this fog season. If segregated operations on runways as noise control measures continue, they would have to taxi a good 40 minutes at least to and from the terminal to the new runway 29/11. Other airlines that are based out of Terminal 3 are likely to have a time advantage over the LCCs by virtue of being close to both the new and main runways.
The three LCCs that are operating out of 1D are Indigo Airlines, SpiceJet and Go Air. The decision to have segregated operations at IGI was taken as a noise pollution mitigation measure after residents of Vasant Kunj filed a PIL in Delhi high court. Initially, only night curfew was imposed on the new runway under which no flights could land on it between 10pm and 6am. However, around mid-October the Airports Authority of India (AAI) implemented another procedure under which runways 29 and 28/27 would be used alternately for arrivals and departures. During the day it would be for a period of 8 hours while at night the operations would switch over four hours. This was done to ensure that areas falling under the approach path of both runways would get temporary respite from the noise of landing aircraft. The move has specially been leading to major delays for those flights that are operating out of 1D and have to use runway 29/11 as this runway is farthest for them.
17/12/10 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Dec 2010, Low Cost General Dec 2010