The Hindu Business Line : AAI agitation has little impact on flight schedules

Protest has little impact: It’s travel as usual for the passengers at the IGI Domestic Terminal in New Delhi on Wednesday, despite the non-cooperation movement launched by the Airports Authority Employees Union against the closure of the existing airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Our Bureau

New Delhi, March 12 Flight operations throughout the country remained unaffected despite the non-cooperation movement launched by employees of Airports Authority of India (AAI) to protest against the closure of the existing airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Officials of a number of domestic airlines including Kingfisher, Air Deccan, Jet Airways and Air India said that flight operations throughout their network were normal. Flight operations to and from Kolkata were largely unaffected.

AAI unions began a countrywide agitation from midnight on Tuesday even as the new airport at Hyderabad is to become operational on March 16 while no date has yet been fixed for the opening of the new airport in Bangalore.

“Obliged” to close

Meanwhile, the Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the interests of AAI employees at Hyderabad and Bangalore will be fully protected after the airports there are closed for commercial activities.

Making a statement in Parliament, the Minister explained that the Government was “obliged” to close down all commercial civil aviation operations at the existing airports once the new airports are made operational.

The Minister informed the house that the two State governments decided to implement the projects through public-private partnership and selected private partners through the international competitive bidding.

Two new joint venture companies, in which the private sector held a 74 per cent equity with the rest being held by the respective State governments and AAI, were set up, Mr Patel said.

In 2004, the centre entered into a concession agreement that requires the promoters to construct, develop and maintain the new airports to global standards, while the Centre on its part is obliged to close down all commercial operations at the existing airport when the new airports are operational, the Minister added.

“The concession agreement specifies the consequences of default by each party,” Mr Patel said.

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