Write to AERA about proposed airport charge hikes at Bangalore

The Bengaluru International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), which operates the Bangalore airport, is proposing hikes in User Development Fees (UDF) of up to 750%!!! From the existing Rs. 231.40, BIAL has proposed to the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), revised UDF of Rs. 1,729.43. Even international passengers will see an almost doubling of their UDF from…

Comptroller and Auditor General of India report on PPP at Delhi Airport

In a report titled “Implementation of Public Private Partnership, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi” the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found faults in almost every step of implementation of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in the brownfield privatisation of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). While acknowledging the PPP was…

Gouging passengers at airports to subsidise airlines

At the 65th annual general meeting and world air transport summit held in Kuala Lumpur in early June, Giovanni Bisignani, CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) put India’s two largest airports — New Delhi Indira Gandhi International and Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International on the ‘IATA Wall of Shame’ for their steep hikes of…

Lok Sabha passes Airport Economic Regulatory Authority bill

The Bill for setting up the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) was passed by the Lok Sabha on 22-Oct-08. The prime objective of AERA will be to create a level playing field and foster healthy competition among all major airports (Government owned, Public Private Partnership based, Private) encourage investment in airport facilities regulate tariffs of…

AERA Bill approved by Union Cabinet

On May 5, 2008, the Indian Government finally approved the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) Bill, and passed it to the Parliament of India. This bill has been languishing since its introduction on September 5, 2007, by the Civil Aviation Minister Shri Praful Patel. Till now, almost all airports in India were controlled and operated…