Launch of Adampur, Kanpur flights from Delhi delayed over terminal shifting

As T1 is operating beyond its capacity, DIAL had asked GoAir, IndiGo and Spicejet to shift one-thirds of their operation to T2, which was renovated for this purpose.

The fight over shifting of terminals at the Delhi airport has delayed the launch of low-cost flights to Punjab’s Adampur and Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.

As T1 is operating beyond its capacity, DIAL had asked GoAir, IndiGo and Spicejet to shift one-thirds of their operation to T2, which was renovated for this purpose. (PTI)

Spicejet was allocated these two routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), which has already missed the deadline and operations are yet to start.

According to airport sources, Spicejet wants to operate these flights from terminal 1 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), from where they operate their domestic flights. But Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which operates the Delhi airport, is insisting on no new flights from T1 as it is already congested.

As T1 is operating beyond its capacity, DIAL had asked GoAir, IndiGo and Spicejet to shift one-thirds of their operation to T2, which was renovated for this purpose. While GoAir shifted in October, IndiGo moved court , which ruled in favour of DIAL’s decision. Spicejet also refused to shift.

DIAL has to start the expansion of T1 and double its capacity as soon as other two airlines agree to shift.

“Every airport that belongs to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for round one of RCS is ready and it is for the airline operator to fly. Spicejet has a problem as they want to operate from T1 while DIAL has said no,” said Guruprasad Mohapatra, AAI chairperson.

AAI has developed the Chakeri airport in Kanpur and Adampur airport in Jalandhar, Punjab. The flight to these cities was supposed to start by September.

A Spicejet spokesperson refused to comment on the matter but an official of the airline, requesting anonymity, said, “SpiceJet was allotted UDAN routes by the government in March 2017. There was no condition at the time of bidding or allotment of these routes that these flights have to be operated out of T2”.

“SpiceJet operates all its domestic flights from Terminal 1D and our winter schedule has been approved accordingly, including RCS flights. To operate only two flights from T2 is not only unfair and impractical, it doesn’t make any operational sense. As such, these flights will become commercially unviable in addition to being a nightmare for the travelling public who may have connecting flights,” the SpiceJet official added.

The official said the airline is ready to operate flights to Kanpur and Adampur from Terminal 1D immediately.

DIAL CEO I Prabhakara Rao told Hindustan Times that no new slots will be given to T1 and any new flights of SpiceJet and IndiGo has to operate from T2.