JOIN USThe HC is hearing a petition questioning closure of HAL airport and permission to re-open the airport which was closed after the inauguration of the Bengaluru International Airport.
Earlier, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) made a submission stating they had no role to play in closing HAL airport as they were not consulted and neither did they agree. They said that their role was limited to Air Traffic Control. They also defended their report submitted to the Court, stating that it was prepared by competent people with expert credentials.
The report submitted by AAI had stated that the Bangalore International Authority Limited (BIAL) had conveniently misrepresented the concept of capacity assessment and could not be relied upon by the High Court. Hitting out at BIAL, the report stated that peak hour capacity provided by BIAL was incorrect. BIAL’s claim of 6,304 peak hour capacity was cooked up and inconsistent with the concession deal or International Air Transport Association (IATA) norms.
The AAI submitted on Wednesday that according to IATA norms, the commercial area should be around 8-12 per cent of the total terminal area. However in BIA, the total commercial area was 30 per cent.
A memo had been submitted earlier by AAI seeking permission to shift the equipment from HAL to other airports and this matter was raised again. The hearing will continue on Thursday.