The Delhi High Court on Monday issued a notice seeking the Centre’s response to a plea by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), challenging the decision to permit commercial flight operations from Hindon airport in Ghaziabad. Justice Sachin Datta granted the Centre and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) two weeks to respond to DIAL’s petitions.
During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed the court that over a hundred flights were already scheduled to depart weekly from Hindon airport, noting that tickets had been sold in advance. He emphasized that monopolization in airport operations was not permissible under current regulations.
Senior Advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for DIAL, argued that the initiation of flight operations from Hindon airport violated both policy frameworks and the state support agreement between DIAL and the government. Singh pointed out that under the agreement, no other airport within a 150-kilometer aerial distance of the IGIA should operate until IGIA has reached its saturation point, asserting that this measure was essential to maintain the viability of IGIA.
DIAL contends that the decision to commence commercial operations from Hindon, originally a military airfield, was made “unilaterally and in undue haste” by the Centre in October 2023, without proper consultation or consideration of alternative solutions. DIAL raised concerns that the military airfield was not suited for civilian use, and no substantial reasons were provided by the Centre for this shift in usage.
Furthermore, DIAL highlighted the ongoing development of a new airport in Jewar, Noida, also within the 150-kilometer radius of IGIA, arguing that initiating commercial flights from Hindon would adversely affect the economic prospects of both the existing and upcoming airports. The plea stressed that such a decision could lead to three competing airports within close proximity, potentially undermining the financial stability of each.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for April 28, where it expects to review detailed responses from the Centre and AAI regarding this contentious issue. DIAL has invested significantly in the expansion of IGIA, planning to increase its capacity to handle 109 million passengers per annum, and asserts that it holds the right of first refusal for any new airport projects within the specified radius around IGIA, as per the state support agreement.
