Apart from other crucial issues, the ministry’s proposal to double the parking, landing and navigation charges during peak hours would be the deal- breaker.
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel will have his plate full on Tuesday, when he meets the airline operators and representatives of International Air Transport Authority (IATA), for the first time after the budget was announced.
Apart from other crucial issues on the agenda, the ministry’s proposal to double the parking, landing and navigation charges during peak hours would be the deal- breaker. The airline industry feels the ministry’s proposal will not only hike up the fares during peak hours but will also fail in decongesting airports, as is the intent. Interestingly, with a PIL challenging the proposal being heard in Delhi HC, the ministry is already doing a flip-flop with Patel being quoted as saying “the charges would not be doubled and that the proposal is under consideration”.
IATA, the representative body of 260 airlines, feels the ministry has no option but to reconsider its proposal. In fact, its country manager Robey Lal said: “The premise of congestion pricing does not work. The root of the problem lies in the lack of capacity at the airports and constraints of better air space utilisation. Congestion pricing resolves neither limitation but rather increases passenger costs and inconvenience, and passes on additional monies to the airports without improving the quality of service.”
The airline operators hope the discussion yields a settlement much below the announced charges of 100 per cent. But IATA is clear — Without better quality of service, no increase is justified. “The government should form a Working Group, including IATA, airline representatives, and the service providers to examine all options in better managing issues,” Lal said.
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