We need alternative airports in big cities: Capt. Gopinath

Bengaluru: Only good, healthy and vibrant competition can bring about a solution to this issue. It is the basic demand and supply scenario which has led to this. It is true not just in airlines, but across sectors, that when monopolies are done away with and there are more players, leading to healthy competition, the pricing issue remains balanced.
It is good intention on the government's part to warn airlines, but that will only give transparency; it will not rein in the airlines. What we have to do is to strengthen the Competition Commission with punitive powers to bring both criminal and civil charges to prevent cartelisation and price fixing.
We have big, world class airports, but not enough flights and capacity increase. High fares are also because infrastructure providers like airports have become monopolies. We have an airport regulator. But regulators, to be really effective, are meant to actually regulate competition and not monopolies. Airport monopolies are also responsible for high fares. We need to have alternative airports in large cities so that they can compete and prices can come down. We need to have privatisation without cartelisation, either in airports or airlines. We need policies that ensure that there is enough capacity and competition always.
06/12/10 Captain G.R. Gopinath/Deccan Chronicle

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Categories: Airports Dec 2010, New Dec 2010