Air Passengers body pushes for safety, airport modernisation

 ..says modernisation delays should be penalised

BY A CORRESPONDENT
March 2006

Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) Founder President D Sudhakara Reddy has welcomed the move to modernize the Delhi and Mumbai airports, congratulating civil aviation minister Praful Patel on the successful completion of the modernization proposals. However, he also put forward an appeal to the government to consider developing new greenfield airports of international standards in Mumbai and Delhi and in other cities, as need-based expansion was not possible in the existing airports. In addition, the APAI stressed that global standards of safety and passenger rights should be officially legalized.

Mr Reddy emphasized that a time framed needed to be worked out for completion of modernization of the two airports. He said, "Penalties for any delay must also be clearly defined and could include a higher percentage payable to the AAI as most of the basic infrastructure were already on the ground." He stressed that bidders should be clear that the onus should not be on passengers to cover costs through an increased passenger service fee or facilitation charges. In addition, he said that the mandatory communication and navigational aids should be upgraded to international standards.

The APAI will be drafting guidelines for passengers by April end, concerning their legal rights. The draft will cover issues such as delay compensations, in accordance with EU norms which holds airlines accountable for delays, cancellations etc., and the APAI will try to push for its legislation. EU norms make it mandatory for the airlines to provide passengers with hotel accommodation, phone bill charges, food etc during delays/cancellations. Mr.Reddy said that the APAI draft will be similarly patterned with compensation depending on duration of flight. The APAI expects to face stiff opposition from airlines on this, but says that increase in passenger numbers will force the airlines' hand.

Mr Reddy also said that the Government should constitute an independent national-level Transportation Safety Board, questioning whether the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was conducting safety audits for private carriers. He said that all private carriers were not following the mandatory International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) guidelines, and added, "The APAI urges the Director General of Civil Aviation to look into this serious violation by the private carriers."

Stressing the need for implementation of safety norms and upgradation of communication and navigational systems, APAI Executive Director R Vijay Bobby said that Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) should be properly implemented, and that mandatory norms should be followed while recruiting foreign pilots. In addition, he said that airports should be equipped to handle emergencies, such as tyre bursts.