Kingfisher, Jet Airways not to withdraw congestion surcharge

A day after Air Deccan announced withdrawal of the controversial congestion surcharge by putting the cess of Rs.150 in basic fare, other big players like Jet and Kingfisher made it clear they would not do any such jugglery. Kingfisher CMD Vijay Mallya on Tuesday said airlines will remove the surcharge only when the situation improves. A Jet Airways spokesperson just said the "cess stays for now". Mallya, on the other hand, lashed out at infrastructural bottlenecks plaguing the country. "When we do costing, we assume a Delhi-Mumbai flight would take upto two hours. But due to congestion and delays at both these places, it takes about an hour more and the additional cost element has to be recovered.

To highlight this problem, we levied this cess and all followed," he said, adding, "It makes no sense to be a hypocrite and remove the cess only to put it in basic fare." The Delhi High Court had recently issued a notice to the aviation ministry, asking it why common passengers were being forced to pay for congestion in the sky. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had then asked airlines to withdraw the surcharge. Asked what would the airline tell DGCA, Mallya said: "The DGCA requested us to either withdraw the surcharge or inform it accordingly. Most airlines have told the DGCA that the surcharge can't be withdrawn." Mallya pointed out that even today half of the traffic of domestic flights is between Delhi and Mumbai, and both the places are choked.

"Private operators are now running these airports but I don't expect any unfair miracles. GMR group may be better placed in Delhi but how is Mumbai going to get an additional runway with so many slums around the airport? One airport operator has suggested that we use bigger aircraft as there are no extra slots available," he said. Like other players, Kingfisher has joined the chorus of demand for more than one airport in Metros. Because of the congestion and shortage of aircraft parking lots in Delhi and Mumbai, airlines are being asked to keep their planes at other places at night meaning more bases and additional costs.

Courtesy: PTI

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