SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh said on Monday that it would make “some sense” for low-cost airline IndiGo to shift its domestic operations to Terminal-2 (T2) of the Delhi airport.
“There are news report that IndiGo wants to shift [to T2]. They have the size and scale to be able to do it. If they operate large number of flights, it makes some sense for them. For us, it doesn’t fit. We have just recovered from a pretty bad situation and to undergo this shift would make it difficult for us,” Mr. Singh said at the sidelines of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Budget AajTak event here.
The GMR-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) recently asked low-cost airlines IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir to shift their flight operations, serving Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, from Terminal-1D to T2.
DIAL wants the airlines to split their operations beginning February 15 so that expansion work of Terminal-1D can begin.
Mr. Singh, said that the airline is ready to share the burden of shifting to another terminal with all the other airlines, but will not go it alone.
“DIAL had asked SpiceJet to shift to T2, which is a bit out of the way. So we told them that it’s not fair that only one airline be asked to shift its operations. Now, they have asked all airlines to shift some part of its operations to T2. It’s not the most efficient way, but is certainly better than forcibly asking only one airline to shift,” the SpiceJet chief said.
While low-cost domestic airlines IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir operate from T1D; Jet Airways, Vistara, AirAsia India and Air India operate from Terminal-3.
DIAL had received the go-ahead from the Civil Aviation Ministry to expand T-1D, following which it decided to use T2 as a temporary facility for IndiGo, SpiceJet and Go Air.
Won’t split service: IndiGo
However, low-cost airline IndiGo has rejected DIAL’s proposal to split operations.
“We will support all efforts that make things better without splitting our domestic operations out of Delhi and thereby creating inconvenience to our customers,” said IndiGo spokesman Ajay Jasra.
The airline, however, has conveyed to the airport operator that it is ready to shift its entire domestic operations to T2, a senior IndiGo executive said.
DIAL is set to meet the three airlines to break the stalemate on February 3.
