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Passengers of delayed flights, cheer up

Ashwini Phadnis

NEW DELHI, June 4

IN an effort to ensure that neither passengers nor the airport staff who have to put in additional hours of work to accommodate scheduled delayed flights are inconvenienced, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr. Sharad Yadav, has written to the aviation authorities to ensure that not only are watch hours at such airports extended but that the current charges for delayed flights are also implemented.

Mr. Yadav told Business Line that the implementation of the decision shall prove a boon not only to passengers but also to the airport authorities.

``I have written to the airports that have limited watch hours asking them to extend to accommodate delayed scheduled flights. Further, I have asked them to ensure that the current charges for watch hours for delayed flights are implemented fully,'' Mr. Yadav said. Senior officials of the Ministry added that a move was also afoot to examine the charges for delayed flights.

Outlining the Ministry's priority for the sector, Mr. Yadav said that he was vigorously pursuing the issue of implementing the Cabinet decision on providing Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to turbo prop aircraft at concessional rates as compared to what was charged to larger jets.

Mr. Yadav said that the implementation of the Cabinet decision was likely to lead to more turbo prop aircraft operating in the country and hopefully to an expansion of the air services into the remote corners of the country.

The Minister denied that the recent spate of bilateral air services agreements which India had signed with several countries have resulted in a loss for the national carrier, Air India. Mr. Yadav pointed out that the Ministry had ensured that where AI is not in a position to operate on a particular sector, a balance in commercial benefit is achieved by insisting on a commercial agreement, either in the form of cash compensation or a codeshare with the foreign carrier operating on the sector.

He added that the Ministry has approved several steps to revive the fortunes of the airline, including clearing the AI board's decision to lease six aircraft.