Next on the govt radar: Low-cost airports

This could be music to the ears of SpiceJet, IndiGo and JetLite. A government panel has made a strong pitch for setting up regional, low-cost airports, which can cater to small aircraft — up to 80 seaters.

The panel, headed by former joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation Rohit Nandan, has termed the 35 non-metro airports being developed by the Airports Authority of India as “expensive” and suggested that “no-frills” airports be built instead.

The parameters the panel has suggested include: turnaround time of 25 minutes against about an hour at larger airports, smaller runway of about 4,000 feet initially, common hold rooms and no lounges,  fewer gate positions, lower service levels in terms of space per person at any time and overall higher annual capacity per square metre of space.

The panel has asked state governments to support these projects and suggested that one-third of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund be used to construct these airports.

At present, there are about 450 used/ unused/abandoned airports and airstrips across the country, half of them owned by state governments or private operators. “With a little bit of effort, they all can be converted into small operational airports for public use with the ability of catering to aircraft with up to 80 seats,” said the panel.