New Delhi: Dues of four major domestic airlines to the Airports Authority of India have more than doubled between February and July. This has happened due to the coronavirus pandemic. The four airlines are IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and AirAsia India. However, the domestic airline that owes the highest amount of dues to the AAI is Air India, officials said. The national carrier’s dues to the AAI increased by 2.75 per cent to Rs 2,258.27 crore in this period, they informed.
An airline has to pay various charges like air navigation, landing, parking etc to the AAI to use facilities at any of its more than 100 airports. Both Air India and the AAI work under the Civil Aviation Ministry.
India has six major domestic carriers. They are IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir, AirAsia India, Air India and Vistara. They owed to the AAI a total of Rs 2562.04 crore as on August 1. This was around 10 per cent more than what was on February 1, the officials stated.
They said India’s largest airline IndiGo’s dues stood at 41.62 crore on February 1. It has increased by 130.6 per cent to Rs 95.99 crore in the subsequent six-month period.
The aviation sector has been hugely impacted because of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the six major domestic carriers have instituted various cost-cutting measures. Among them are pay cuts, layoffs or leave without pay during the last few months.
SpiceJet is India’s second-largest carrier. It had dues of Rs 65.35 crore to the AAI on February 1. It has increased to Rs 132.4 crore by August 1, the officials stated.
Due to non-payment of dues, the AAI had August 1 put SpiceJet on cash and carry mode. It means means the airline has to pay charges daily at AAI-run airports to operate flights from there.
“SpiceJet remains firmly committed to its obligations. We continue to have normal operations at all AAI-run airports as before,” a spokesperson of the company said Sunday.
Air India’s 0dues to the AAI on February 1 stood at 2197.6 crore. It increased to Rs 2258.27 crore August 1, the officials noted. The AAI had placed July 8 Air India also on cash and carry mode. These were done at the airports in Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Chennai and Kolkata.
AirAsia India’s dues to the AAI increased from 0.96 crore February 1 to Rs 18.89 crore August 1, the officials mentioned.
“We do not comment on specific figures. However, AirAsia India has been making regular payments of dues to the AAI within the agreed credit period,” the airline’s spokesperson said.
Vistara is only one of the domestic carriers which saw its dues to the AAI decrease in February-July period. Its dues were 5.72 crore February 1 and it fell to Rs 4.31 crore August 1.
GoAir\’s dues to the AAI increased from 16.91 crore February 1 to Rs 52.18 crore August 1, the officials informed.
It should be stated here that airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad are privately managed.
