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Private operators irked at 300% hike in hangar charge at Juhu airport

The operators have taken up their grievances with the civil aviation ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), urging them to bring the hike to a reasonable amount.

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Private charter operators at country's oldest civil aviation airport in Juhu are following in Bapu's footsteps of 'civil disobedience' to register their protest.

What are they protesting?
Agitating against the proposed 300% hike in hanger and other charges at the airport, the operators have collectively refused to pay the same, terming the hike "unjust" and "grave" for the private charter business. The order for increase comes months after the office space was hiked to 504%, from last October.
The operators have taken up their grievances with the civil aviation ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), urging them to bring the hike to a reasonable amount.

What do airport authorities claim?
Juhu airport authorities, on their part, claim that the decision was taken at their headquarters in Delhi and they are just implementing the same. "The operators have objected to the hike and are in talks with the higher-ups," said VK Punyal, Juhu airport director.
Juhu airport presently handles helicopters, including that of certain government companies, and some light aircraft.

Why do operators say it will be tough for them?
The operators claim that most among them have small set-ups and such a tremendous increase in charges pushes their already struggling business into further trouble. According to them, the new charges are different for different areas of the airport. For example, the new charge stands at Rs17,000 per square metre near the seaside, while it is Rs11,000 per square metre for a hanger near the SV Road side of Vile Parle.
"How does it matter whether the hanger is near the sea or road as long as it is located inside the airport? These differential charges are really amusing," said captain Uday Gelli, president (west region), Rotary Wing Society of India, an association of private charter companies.
He added that Juhu airport authorities recently starting levying 10% as extra utility charges on the total land rent. "When we asked what utility charges mean, especially when the airport does not provide for any such utility, the authorities had no answer," Gelli said.
Echoing Gelli, Prashant Oak, director (operations), AK Aviation, which operates from Juhu airport, said, "For small operators like us, the going has become very difficult with recent increases in different charges at the airport."

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