Yet another chance for HAL Airport to reopen

A proposal before the High Court suggests the Bangalore International Airport Ltd be given charge of the old airport as well. And though the plan is far from concrete, the bickering has started already

A proposal before the High Court suggests the Bangalore International Airport Ltd be given charge of the old airport as well. And though the plan is far from concrete, the bickering has started already
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The Bangalore International Airport Limitedu00a0 (BIAL) may run HAL airport, if the government takes up a proposal made before the High Court.

G R Mohan, a lawyer fighting for the retention of the old airport, has submitted before the court that BIAL might run HAL airport in association with Airports Authority of India (AAI) and also share traffic with it.

A two-member bench comprising Justice K L Manjunath and Justice P V Nagarathna is hearing a batch of petitions to re-open the HAL airport.

The Airports Authority of India-run airport was closed in May last year after the new airport at Devanahalli was commissioned, and the employees' union of AAI is one of the petitioners.

"It is an issue of financial viability and BIAL's interest must also be protected once HAL airport in restored," said Mohan. " So, I made this proposal and it is left to the court and the government to decide on it."

A tripartite committee comprising the employees' union of the AAI, AAI, and the ministry of civil aviation had recommended the re-opening of the HAL airport, last July, and the government had forwarded the recommendation to AAI.

Following this the HC had asked AAI to come on record on the action taken. The AAI is expected to make a statement when the court re-opens after vacations in the first week of October.

While hearing the case, the court might also take up the proposal and ask for the response of all stakeholders, said Mohan.

The employees' union of the AAI is in favour of the proposal. "We want the HAL airport to be re-opened but the AAI must run it solely. Why should the BIAL be given a share?" wondered Stanley Sampathkumar, secretary of the union.

When BIA had not invested in HAL airport, it could not stake a claim to its revenues, he argued.

He said the concessionaire agreement signed by the BIAL, the ministry of civil aviation, and the sate government had to be re-visited in case the proposal was considered, and the union would oppose it.

While the BIAL declined to comment on it, AAI was cautious in its reaction.

"We have not come across such a proposal and are not in a position to comment, " said a BIAL spokesperson, in an e-mail response. A M Viswanath, general manager, AAI, said, "The matter is sub-judice and it is not proper to comment on the issue."

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