The Airports Council International, (ACI), voice of the world's 1,700 airports, defended the increase of User Development Fee (UDF), being collected by airports all over the world.
Angela Gittens, director general, ACI World, today here said that airports are capital intensive businesses. Even in a downturn airports have to invest to provide capacity for the future and user charges may have to increase.
I think that India has some of the lowest user charges in the world but India has also lagged behind in providing capacity, she said.
Now that India is indeed providing the capacity the airlines and the communities need, it is only natural that user charges will have to rise, at least in the short term, Gittens said.
She was in the city as a signatory for the appointment of GMR Aviation Academy as a Global Training Hub by the ACI.
Kiran Grandhi, business chairman, airports, GMR Group and Angela Gittens, signed the agreement.
Under the agreement, the GMR Aviation Academy will facilitate ACIs training opportunities that help develop managerial and operational standards, and spread knowledge of best practices throughout the airports in the world.
P Sripathy, CEO, GHIAL said the GMR Aviation Academy will provide an ideal training venue, not just for the professionals from within the airports in India, but also from those in the Saarc countries.
The GMR Group is expecting a substantial increase in the number of requirements of adequately trained staff that are employed by airports, their suppliers and the different service providers.
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