The civil aviation ministry has already given its in-principle nod for the proposed airport at Zevar, Greater Noida, but it now emerges that the approval is subject to certain conditions.
Govt keeping Delhi airport interests in mind
NEW DELHI: The civil aviation ministry has already given its in-principle nod for the proposed airport at Zevar, Greater Noida, but it now emerges that the approval is subject to certain conditions.
According to sources, the ministry has stipulated in a cabinet note that the proposed airport should follow the same service conditions which have been imposed on Delhi International Airport (DIAL).
The conditional nod to the Greater Noida airport assumes significance since DIAL stands to lose revenue with the second airport coming up within about 70 km of the existing one.
Under the current policy, no new airport should come up within 150 km of an existing one. So, by making its approval to the Uttar Pradesh government’s demand conditional, the ministry appears to be keeping DAIL’s interests also in mind.
While the ministry has talked about imposing service conditions, it has stopped short of specifying key parameters such as how much of the land earmarked for building an international airport can be given out for commercial development at Greater Noida.
The conditions laid down in the cabinet note assume significance since they could act as a precedent to the more comprehensive greenfield airports policy, which has been in the works for some time now.
So, if an airport at Greater Noida does come up, it may well follow the strict service conditions DIAL is working under, but may find many alternate routes to raise revenue.
As per the Operation, Management and Development Agreement (OMDA) signed by the joint venture partners developing DIAL, the service conditions imposed on DIAL include a performance standard of 3.75 at all times, covering 90% of passenger traffic through aerobridges, delivering baggage within three minutes.
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