The Hindu Business Line : AAI staff oppose move to shut down Hyderabad airport

The Airports Authority Employees Union has opposed the decision to close down the Begumpet Airport in the heart of the city to make way for the upcoming international airport being taken up by a consortium led by the GMR group near Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Mr S.R. Santhanam, All-India President of the Union, told Business Line that the company could not dictate terms and declare that the current airport be closed for civil operations.

"If their model is so good they can as well compete with the current airport and prove it. How can they ask for the airport to be shut down?"

Earlier in the day, he submitted a memorandum to Mr Gurudas Dasgupta, MP and General Secretary of AITUC, appealing him to take up the issue at the national level to stop moves to close down the existing airport.

Stating that the AAI had invested Rs 800 crore of taxpayer money in building the Begumpet Airport, Mr Santhanam said the whole amount would go waste.

Moreover, the airport could witness good growth. "It records an annual turnover of Rs 132 crore." On the move to hand over the airport for Defence operations once it ceases to be a civilian airport, he said the Defence services already have two airports at Dundigal and Hakeempet, both less than 40 km from the Begumpet airport.

On the argument that there was no scope for expansion of the existing airport, he said there was enough space and it still could be expanded. He alleged that the authorities could not take any action to get back the 97 acres that was encroached upon.

Referring to a high-level committee appointed by the Government in 2000, he said that the airport was found to be fit for handling passenger traffic for the next 15 years.

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