A GPRS-enabled Electronic Data Capture Terminal (EDCT) was commissioned by Rajesh Bhandari, Executive Director (Finance), Corporate Headquarters, Airports of Authority of India (AAI).
Airport Director K. Srinivasa Rao presided. Senior officers of AAI, Station Managers of all scheduled and non-scheduled operators attended the function.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said commissioning of the GPRS-enabled EDCT would facilitate the non-scheduled airlines to make payment of airport charges to AAI through credit/debit or corporate cards. Casual operators have been paying airport charges through cash and pilots/flight handlers were required to carry a large amount of cash for making payments to the AAI.
Mr. Rajesh Bhandari spoke on the benefits of the new facility and how it could curtail fake currency. It would also ensure transparency in monetary transactions and prompt realisation to the AAI.
The facility was commissioned at Juhu, Mumbai, and Goa airports in the first phase, and Visakhapatnam airport now got the facility.
The EDCTs are likely to be replicated all over India in due course.