Private airport operators look to levy fee to cover coronavirus losses

Say infrastructure they set up is a fixed asset and not flexible to respond to sudden dip in business

Private airport operators have sought government permission to levy an extra charge on flyers to compensate for losses incurred because of reduced footfall and air traffic as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. This has angered airlines who termed the demands “self-serving” at a time of crisis.

“Revenue streams of airports have been impacted adversely. To ensure sustainability of airport operators, we propose to levy a nominal facilitation charge as part of airline fares to cover the increased operating cost,” Association of Private Operators said in a communication to the Pardeep Singh Kharola, secretary of Ministry of Civil Aviation. Private airport