Efforts being made to up operations at old airports, says Patel

The government today said old airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore were not being closed down and that efforts would be made to expand operations there even as the striking airport employees called off their agitation.

"The (existing) airports are not being closed down. They will be used for general aviation (apart from defence purposes and national emergencies).

"Keeping in mind the interests of all sections, we will try to find a way out of the legal problems in the future, speak to the operators (of the greenfield airports). We will try to expand operations at the existing airports. But no immediate solution is possible," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters at the Parliament House.

However, he said it was difficult at this moment to give any commitment in this regard.

The term "general aviation" denotes non-scheduled operations of private aircraft or chartered services in which small planes are generally used. Under the agreements entered with the private parties which are building and operating the new airports in the two cities, the government has to close down commercial flight operations in the old ones.

"Their future will be secure. New airports have to be constructed in national interest."

The minister also said that the inauguration of the Bangalore airport had been delayed by one month due to certain "technical issues".

"Though radars and air traffic control equipment have been installed, there are some technical issues. Keeping in mind these problems, we have decided to delay its launch by one month," Patel said.

On the new Hyderabad airport, which is to be inaugurated by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi tomorrow, he said it was "fully ready, though there is a problem of connectivity (between the airport and the city). But infrastructure has to be built in long-term national interests".

He said the decision to construct greenfield airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore was taken by the NDA government. "We are continuing the same. Nothing new has been done."

The demand for general aviation was growing leaps and bounds and several orders were being placed for small jets and private aircraft, he said indicating that the high growth of general aviation could help expand operations at the old Hyderabad airport.