After a false start, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad is all set to begin operations on Saturday midnight. The airport was to launch its operations on March 16 and was inaugurated with much fanfare by the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. But it was put off because of the last-minute row between ground-handling companies and low-cost airlines over rates. With the row being more or less settled, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry announced on Thursday that the airport would be operational from 00:01 hours on March 23.
It is learnt that the low cost airlines and two ground handling companies, Air India-Singapore Air Terminal Services and Menzies Bobba Ground Handling Services, have agreed on a rate of Rs 9,000 per flight. Several airlines have signed an agreement consenting to the new rates and this has enabled the Centre to start operations at the new Greenfield airport. The companies had earlier fixed Rs 20,000 as ground handling charges and this had infuriated low-cost airlines.
“It is a good sign that they had agreed to reduce ground-handling charges,” said Captain G.R. Gopinath, managing director of Air Deccan. GHIAL is hoping that the other airlines will also fall in line within a day or two. “We want them to find a solution as quickly as possible since the new airport will start functioning from Sunday,” said a GHIAL spokesperson.
The Centre has also clarified that the existing airport at Begumpet will not be used for commercial operations once the Shamshabad airport becomes operational. Mr R.K.Singla, director of the Begumpet airport, said it would henceforth be used for defence purposes, VVIP trips and chartered flights only.
GHIAL has decided not to collect user development charges of $25 from international passengers for one week as a goodwill gesture. “We will also not collect any parking charges up to March 28,” said the spokesperson. Meanwhile, the GMR-led consortium has also inked an agreement with the Turkish Ministry of Defence for taking over the operations of Instanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport. GMR and its partners have got a contract to operate Sabiha Gokcen, which is Istanbul’s second airport, for 20 years