MNS threatens action against Mumbai International Airport Limited for collecting vehicle entry charges

Raj Thackrey’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Friday threatened Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), with ‘MNS style’ action if the airport operator don’t do away with the entry charges for vehicles, which come to pick up or drop passengers. The party members also urged that the vehicle parking charges, which are the highest in the country should also be lowered.

In a letter to Rajiv Jain, CEO of MIAL, the party activists stated that the entry charges of vehicles should be withdrawn at both the domestic and international terminal.

MNS had last year vandalised toll booths as part of the agitations against collection of toll tax, mainly those at the outskirts of the city.  

“The vehicle parking charges at the airport is the highest as compared to other airports in the country, which is causing a lot of inconvenience to the passengers and others who come to the airport” said Abhishek Sapre, divisional president of MNS.

The city airport is counted amongst the most busiest airports in the continent with 34 million passengers flying every year. The high passenger traffic creates a lot of congestion at the airport due to cars and other vehicles arriving to drop or pick them up.  

Though the airport spokesperson refused to comment, the sources within MIAL said that the charges on the vehicle are levied only after five minutes. The charges are levied only to deter the vehicles from creating chaos within the airport vicinity and it’s a known practice at airports across the world.”

“Also, city airport has vehicle parking space very near to the airport terminal and the space in premium area that comes at a cost,” added an airport official.