The delay in completion of the airport expansion project in Chennai will lead to levying of development fee by the Civil Aviation Ministry, which will be an added burden for passengers, said D. Sudhakara Reddy, National president Air Passengers Association of India (APAI).
Talking to reporters about the inordinate delay in the completion of the expansion project, he said: “The effect of the substantial delay is going to be felt by the passengers in the form of development fee, which will be levied on passengers for a few years. This is what happened in New Delhi.”
The speed at which the work was progressing, it would take at least another year to open one of the new terminal buildings. Already the APAI had received more than 30 complaints from passengers, including senior citizens, about the inconvenience caused due to the construction. With regard to the expansion, no stakeholder consultation was held by inviting airlines, passenger bodies and other agencies, he charged.
Since the expansion work started, passengers have been suffering owing to improper planning and arrangements both at the arrival and departure areas. No serious effort was made by the authorities to address the passenger grievances at the airport before commencing the expansion project.
Another major hassle was parking and no planning had gone into this. Long queues were seen waiting in the departure area during peak hours due to lack of personnel to man them, he complained.
The APAI also demanded the forming of Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority to regulate fares and other aspects relating to civil aviation.
