NEW DELHI: Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has approached the High Court against the Civil Aviation ministry’s decision of allowing the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to begin commercial flight operations at the Hindon Airforce station in Ghaziabad.
Issuing a notice on the plea, Justice Subramonium Prasad sought response of the Centre and AAI in the matter.
During the hearing, senior advocate Arvind Nigar, along with Advocate Milanka Chaudhury, appeared for the DIAL–a joint venture of the GMR-led consortium and AAI. It also undertakes functions concerning operations and maintenance of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
DIAL’s petition contended that the last year’s impugned decision and communication are in the teeth of Union government’s policies, including the policy on airport infrastructure, 1997, which mandates that no greenfield airport will be allowed within an aerial distance of 150 kilometers of an existing airport.
It further said that the Centre’s decision is arbitrary, unfair and unsustainable as it does not satisfy the tests in the 1997 policy as well as the greenfield airport policy and the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, for setting up a new greenfield airports within 150 km of an existing airport.
“The impugned decision, impugned proposal and impugned communication also fails to consider that already a greenfield airport is being developed at Jewar with ultimate passenger capacity of more than 100 mppa within 150 km of the IGIA. Thereby, the aggregate passenger capacity of about 250 mppa is being created in the NCR, which is projected to be sufficient till 2050,” the plea read. The issue would seriously impact the viability of IGI Airport, the plea said.
The MPPA or Million Passenger Per Annum is a measure of the number of passengers that an airport or airline can handle in a given year.
“It would not only be detrimental to the existing airport i.e. IGIA but also render the upcoming airport at Jewar and Hindon Airforce Station (if permitted to be developed into a greenfield airport) unviable as it would result in three weak airports, with all competing and eating into the revenues of each other,” it said.
‘Govt violating aviation policy’
DIAL’s petition contended the decision of the civil aviation ministry to allow commercial flight operations at the Hindon Airforce Station in Ghaziabad is against the government’s policies that mandate no greenfield airport within an aerial distance of 150 km of an existing airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI).