Opinion - News Analysis   

Decongesting the airports

V. Jayanth

Is an increase in charges during peak hours the only way out?

— File Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Such crowds are a regular sight at the Bangalore airport. — File Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

LAST MONTH, Union Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla proposed doubling airport charges during peak hours to deal with the severe congestion at the airports in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. This has not been implemented; the airlines obviously do not want it during the holiday season that has just begun.

The Civil Aviation Ministry cannot be faulted either in the identification of the "most congested" airports or in wanting to deal with this problem till the new airports are ready. Work has begun in Delhi and Mumbai through a private sector consortium to develop new airports. A greenfield airport is under construction on the outskirts of Bangalore. Till then, the Ministry is saddled with the congestion problem as public and private airlines multiply and secure more aircraft to operate additional flights.

If Mr. Chawla's proposal becomes effective this season, it will result in an additional burden of Rs.22,000 to Rs.25,000 per landing, according to airline officials. Though this may be a deterrent levy, major airlines feel the rush during the peak hours cannot be avoided. Normally, the 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. periods are labelled "peak hours." That is when airports have to handle the maximum number of take-offs and landings. Flights get delayed because the airports cannot handle so much aircraft movement. Every morning, these three airports in particular, and many others too, witness scores of aircraft waiting to take off and an equal number circling overhead awaiting clearance to land. Quite often, passengers are not allowed to disembark from the aircraft because the coaches either cannot reach the aircraft or cannot drive back to the terminal building because of aircraft movement.

The airport in New Delhi alone records at least 525 aircraft movements in a day (both landings and take-offs), half the number during the peak hours alone.

A senior regional official of a private airline reasons: "We have opposed the proposal to either increase airport charges or deny additional flights for the summer season. The Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are constantly in touch with all airlines. Our summer and winter schedules get cleared with them before we go public. So there is regular interaction. We can perhaps think of freezing the flights during the peak hours, but for the holiday season we need to certainly operate more special flights to select destinations. Given the intense competition among airlines, it becomes difficult to up fares now. Airlines, hotels, and the travel trade have got together to offer special summer packages to families for this season."

Most of the airlines include a "congestion surcharge" as part of the clutch of taxes. It is around Rs.150 a passenger. But some airlines have withdrawn this fee now. If the aviation authorities go ahead with their plans, the fee could resurface.

Business travellers argue that peak hour flights become critical because they would like to fly into and out of a place the same day. Those from small businesses explain that hotel rates, particularly in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, are so high that they would like to finish their work during the day and return to their base by night.

Wastage of fuel

What the airlines seem to be more worried about is the "wastage of precious, costly Aviation Turbine Fuel," either while planes circle over airports waiting to land or while taxiing long distances to ready for take-off. Airlines estimate that it costs more than Rs.500 a minute on fuel while taxiing, and about Rs.2,000 a minute while a plane circles over an airport. They would love to limit this wastage to the barest minimum, which entails better management systems and additional runways at the congested airports. Even taxi ways need to be modified to cut down on the distance traversed by each aircraft before take off or while coming to a bay for parking.

It will not be long before the country's other airports reach the levels of congestion seen at Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. It is time officials from the Aviation Ministry, the AAI, the State Governments concerned, and the airlines sat together and evolved interim and permanent solutions to cope with the projected surge in air traffic.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Britain in the wrong
Moving beyond reciprocity
Arab Summit seeks a way out in West Asia
How violent `outsiders' are produced
Decongesting the airports
The legacy of Fallujah's destruction
Story of empire is not one of unalloyed shame
Corrections and Clarifications
Nepal's tryst
Blame game
Welcome ban
On FTV

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu