The Hindu : Modernising airports among Rudy's priorities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 15, 2003

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National

Modernising airports among Rudy's priorities

By Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI JUNE 14. The Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, has shortlisted at least half a dozen issues relating to his Ministry that need to be dealt with on priority basis.

While admitting that he was yet to comprehend all the issues involving the sector, Mr. Rudy said that he would like to make the Civil Aviation Ministry the ``focal'' economic Ministry on the same lines as the surface transport, the rural development and information technology ones.

Talking to select presspersons in his office last evening, Mr. Rudy listed issues such as ground handling, modernisation of airports, high rate of taxation on aviation turbine fuel, replacement of aging fleet of Air India and Indian Airlines, which need attention.

Referring to the controversial issue of ground handling in the post-June 30 situation at airports, Mr. Rudy said ``appropriate consultations'' would be done at all levels.

He admitted having received representations from several quarters but asserted that national security would not be compromised at any cost. He said it was yet to be decided whether ground handling would be confined only to the Indian Airlines, Air India, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) or their subsidiaries.

The Government proposed to ease out private airlines from doing their own ground handling from July 1 but the private operators such as Jet Airways and Sahara had lodged a strong protest against it, saying it would kill their business and there had not been any laxity on their part in the past. Ground handling has an annual turnover of Rs. 1,000 crores.

Promising that modernisation of airports at Delhi and Mumbai would be taken up ``very soon'', the Minister said it was the BJP-led Government's commitment to give ultra modern, world class airports to the two metropolitan cities. ``We should not only have world class airports at Delhi and Mumbai but airports which are capable of being compared with the world's best even after 25 years from now,'' he added.

Mr. Rudy said no modalities such as leasing or entrusting the job to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have been finalised on modernisation of airports.

The Minister said his attention would be focussed on increasing the capacity of both Air India and Indian Airlines in the near future.

He said the loss of nearly Rs. 250 crores for Indian Airlines was a cause for ``major concern'' and replacement of aging fleet would be taken up on a priority basis.

Mr. Rudy said he would like to achieve greater synergy between aviation and tourism sectors.

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