Chennai: The city airport is struggling to make space in its parking bays, not because it is a busy location, but because abandoned planes have been taking up most of the space for years. The airport is saddled with 13 abandoned planes — nine belonging to Kingfisher and four to NEPC Airlines.
A senior official of Airports Authority of India said while NEPC’s planes were parked in a corner the Kingfisher planes are on a paved portion of a parking bay between second runway and main runway which could be improved and used for parking new planes.
The airport at present has alloted a remote parking area away from the terminal for night parking and also for boarding and disembarking passengers, as parking space is inadequate near the terminals. The airport has around 80 parking bays. “The airport has become like a graveyard of planes. No one wants to take up responsibility to remove them. The planes do not have engines and other parts and is worth only a few lakhs that too because of the aluminium shell,” said an official. He also said the space occupied by the Kingfisher planes could be put to use. “We do not have that kind of a demand for parking space at the remote area. We need space near the terminals so that boarding and disembarking of passengers will be quicker,” he added.
There was an opportunity to remove the planes of Kingfisher airlines when the lessors wanted to take it but AAI blocked the attempt because the airline had outstanding dues to the tune of Rs300 crore. The amount is still pending but neither the lessor nor the banks are coming forward to remove the planes.
25/11/18 Times of India
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
A senior official of Airports Authority of India said while NEPC’s planes were parked in a corner the Kingfisher planes are on a paved portion of a parking bay between second runway and main runway which could be improved and used for parking new planes.
The airport at present has alloted a remote parking area away from the terminal for night parking and also for boarding and disembarking passengers, as parking space is inadequate near the terminals. The airport has around 80 parking bays. “The airport has become like a graveyard of planes. No one wants to take up responsibility to remove them. The planes do not have engines and other parts and is worth only a few lakhs that too because of the aluminium shell,” said an official. He also said the space occupied by the Kingfisher planes could be put to use. “We do not have that kind of a demand for parking space at the remote area. We need space near the terminals so that boarding and disembarking of passengers will be quicker,” he added.
There was an opportunity to remove the planes of Kingfisher airlines when the lessors wanted to take it but AAI blocked the attempt because the airline had outstanding dues to the tune of Rs300 crore. The amount is still pending but neither the lessor nor the banks are coming forward to remove the planes.
25/11/18 Times of India
0 comments:
Post a Comment