It refers to Union Civil aviation Ministry asking three domestic budget-airliners namely Indigo, SpiceJet and GoAir to decide amongst themselves to shift some of their flights from Terminal-1 to Terminal-2 of New Delhi Airport. Already domestic flights of Air India and Jet Airways operate from Terminal-3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi.
Keeping flights of same airliner scattered between Terminals T-1 and T-2 will confuse passengers. Therefore best is to have an exclusive Terminal either T-1 or T-2 for Indigo which has maximum flights. Rest other airliners excluding Air India, Jet Airways and Indigo may operate from an exclusive terminal either T-1 or T-2. Since there is a tussle between different airliners in shifting to T-2, different operating-costs may be there for operating from terminals T-1 and T-2 with most desired T-1 having higher operating-cost. It is useless to expect from different airliners to reach at some consensus in this regard.
It is shocking that adequate facilities as desired by airliners could not be generated by Delhi International Airport Limited – DIAL at Terminal-2 in the long time during which discussions were going to shift some of the flights to Terminal-2. It is also time that indecision on having second airport for Delhi at Jewar –UP may be ended by declaring Jewar-UP to be site for new International Airport for Delhi. It is unfortunate that vested political interests in UP did not allow project being materialised despite land having been acquired for the purpose long back. Even construction on plots allotted long back by Yamuna Expressway Authority is yet to begin only in anticipation of much-awaited final decision on an airport at Jewar-UP.
MADHU AGRAWAL