Meeting on Taj Mansingh bid remains inconclusive
The New Delhi Municipal Council’s meeting to decide the terms and date of auction of the Taj Mansingh hotel in the Capital remained inconclusive on Monday. A Council member said another meeting was scheduled for next week to finalise the auction terms. The bidding process is expected to be completed by January 2018.
The government’s plan to use the Hindon air force base as an alternative to Delhi airport is facing a hurdle with new airlines refusing to operate from there citing competitive disadvantage. This has placed the success of the government’s ambitious Regional Connectivity Scheme under the scanner as Air Deccan and Air Odisha – the two new airlines have secured more than 80 routes – are yet to start operations.
The two new operators have sought permission for at least 16 movements of their planes from Delhi airport, but have received only four slots. “For the rest of the slots, we have been asked to consider the Hindon air force base, but this will not work for us as operating from Hindon will defeat the entire purpose of seamless connectivity. We have expressed our reservations to the government,” said a senior Air Deccan official.
Poor last-mile connectivity between Delhi and Hindon and the air force's operational requirements (which can limit civilian flights) are the issues which the airlines say will have to be dealt with first before starting operations.
“You cannot expect a passenger to take a regional flight to Hindon, then travel an hour in a cab to catch his next flight, which will be from Delhi airport. It will defeat the entire purpose of Udan — of building seamless air connectivity with hinterland India,” said the Air Deccan official. “Multimodal connectivity through a fast mode of transport has to be developed first,” he added. The airline said it will participate in the second round of bidding.
The GMR-led Delhi Airport had accepted the government’s request to shift Udan flights to the Hindon air force base. According to the arrangement, the airport operator will decide which flights are to be shifted to Hindon. “In this arrangement lies the problem, GMR will offer slots to established airlines as they will earn landing charges from them. But since the Udan flights do not attract any landing charges those have been asked to move to Hindon,” the official said. “Our aircraft are ready, we have secured all necessary approvals for airworthiness, it’s only the availability of slots which is proving to be a hindrance in starting operations,” he added.
Delhi airport is the hub of domestic aviation operations in the country and the growth of operations over the years has seen its capacity severely constrained. Delhi airport sees over 1,200 flights daily and its three runways can handle 67 aircraft movements per hour. While the terminal expansion is facing delays, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has expressed its inability to allow more flights due to runway capacity constraints.
Due to the impasse over availability of slots, most of the routes under Udan are yet to open, leaving a question mark over the scheme’s success. Experts said that the Hindon base is definitely not a viable alternative over a major airport for airlines.