The Chennai airport has seen a mild slowdown in domestic aircraft operations this year, whereas international aircraft movement has picked up compared to last year, said Chennai airport director E.P. Hareendranathan.
International aircraft movement has seen a 1.3 per cent increase in 2010-11 when compared to the last year as Silk Air, Air Asia and Air Seychelles started services from Chennai this year. On the flip side, the stopping of services by Paramount Airways and reduced operations by a few others has led to a 0.3 per cent decrease in domestic operations.
While the lowest parking fees charged by the Chennai airport at Rs 4.40 per tonne is one reason for the rise in aircraft movement to the city, Mr Hareendranathan said that the 56 parking bays at the airport are full now and the airlines are encouraged to park at Madurai and Trichy airports.
“The airlines are, however, reluctant to park at tier-II cities, as they prefer to start services in the morning from metros only,” he added.
Hiren Shah, secretary of Air Passengers Association of India, said the drop in domestic aircraft movement is mainly due to lesser air traffic between Chennai and Bengaluru.
04/03/11 Deccan Chronicle
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