Delhi International Airport Limited Moves Delhi High Court Against Decision To Commence Commercial Flight Operations At Hindon Airforce Station

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the decision of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation in October last year to allow the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to commence commercial flight operations at the Hindon Airforce Station situated in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.

Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notice on the plea and sought response of the Union Government and AAI in the matter.

Senior Advocate Arvind Nigar along with Advocate Milanka Chaudhury represented DIAL.

DIAL is a joint venture of the GMR led consortium and AAI and also undertakes functions concerning operations and maintenance of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

DIAL has also challenged a communication issued by AAI inviting various airline operators to increase flight operations and file their respective flight schedule for availing slots at the Hindon Airforce Station.

It is the case of DIAL that the impugned decision and communication are in the teeth of Union Government's policies, including the Policy on Airport Infrastructure, 1997, which mandates that no greenfield airport will be allowed within an aerial distance of 150 kilometers of an existing airport.

The plea states that the Centre's decision is arbitrary, unfair and unsustainable as it does not satisfy the tests in the 1997 Policy as well as the Greenfield Airport Policy and the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016, for setting up a new greenfield airports within 150 kms of an existing airport.

“The Impugned Decision, Impugned Proposal and Impugned Communication also fails to consider that already a greenfield airport is being developed at Jewar with ultimate passenger capacity of more than 100 mppa within 150 km of the IGIA. Thereby, the aggregate passenger capacity of about 250 mppa is being created in the NCR, which is projected to be sufficient till 2050,” the plea states.

It adds that allowing Hindon Airforce Station to be used for scheduled commercial operations to cater to the same catchment area, even before IGI Airport and the airport at Jewar reach their saturation capacity, would seriously impact the viability of IGI Airport.

“It would not only be detrimental to the existing airport i.e. IGIA but also render the upcoming airport at Jewar and Hindon Airforce Station (if permitted to be developed into a greenfield airport) unviable as it would result in three weak airports, with all competing and eating into the revenues of each other,” the plea states.

The case will now be heard on March 07.

Title: Delhi International Airport Limited v. Union of India & Anr.