The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has incurred losses of over Rs 1,200 crore on 96 of its airports, including six in the state, in 2014-15.
According to the statistics furnished recently in the Rajya Sabha by the ministry of civil aviation, the six airports in Maharashtra incurred losses of over Rs 70 crore. The highest losses were incurred on the Aurangabad airport, followed by Gondia, Solapur, Kolhapur, Akola and Nanded. The Safdarjung Airport in Delhi ran into a loss of Rs 37 crore, the data revealed.
A senior AAI official told TOI that the loss-making airports generated less revenue primarily because they had little connectivity to major cities and less passenger traffic.
"The landing and parking charges at these airports are high and only few flights operate there. Despite the high landing and parking charges, smaller aircraft are exempted from paying them. It also takes a lot of money to maintain these airports despite fewer passengers frequenting them. No major flights operate from these small airports, resulting in less revenue," the AAI official said.
He said these airports have little connectivity to metros. "A comparison between the airports in metros and those making losses says a great deal about why they are bleeding. Flights operate every hour at major airports in the country, while those incurring loss have a few flights in a day," the official said.
23/12/15 Neha Madaan/The Times Of India
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According to the statistics furnished recently in the Rajya Sabha by the ministry of civil aviation, the six airports in Maharashtra incurred losses of over Rs 70 crore. The highest losses were incurred on the Aurangabad airport, followed by Gondia, Solapur, Kolhapur, Akola and Nanded. The Safdarjung Airport in Delhi ran into a loss of Rs 37 crore, the data revealed.
A senior AAI official told TOI that the loss-making airports generated less revenue primarily because they had little connectivity to major cities and less passenger traffic.
"The landing and parking charges at these airports are high and only few flights operate there. Despite the high landing and parking charges, smaller aircraft are exempted from paying them. It also takes a lot of money to maintain these airports despite fewer passengers frequenting them. No major flights operate from these small airports, resulting in less revenue," the AAI official said.
He said these airports have little connectivity to metros. "A comparison between the airports in metros and those making losses says a great deal about why they are bleeding. Flights operate every hour at major airports in the country, while those incurring loss have a few flights in a day," the official said.
23/12/15 Neha Madaan/The Times Of India
