Congestion at airport not just a 'technical' issue: HC

Hearing a PIL on congestion at the airport, the Bombay High Court today told the aviation authorities that they could not dismiss the issue by dubbing it as 'technical'.

Hearing a PIL on congestion at the airport, the Bombay High Court on Thursday told the aviation authorities that they could not dismiss the issue by dubbing it as 'technical'.

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The court was hearing a PIL, filed by Resources for Aviation Redressal Association, which stated that planes faced a difficulty in landing at the city's airports and had to hover around for some time because of heavy air traffic.

Director General of Civil Aviation's lawyer said that the issue was rather technical.

But Justice Dharmadhikari revealed that he has faced delays on at least 10 occasions where the flight took off on time but arrival was delayed.

"It's in public interest. Don't say it's just technical," Justice Dharmadhikari said, adding that the court is only concerned about passenger safety.

An affidavit filed by the Director General of Civil Aviation's office says that authorities gave permissions to airlines for take-off only upon satisfactory preparedness in the areas of operations, maintenance, safety and security.

The affidavit also said that the Ministry for Civil Aviation has approved a new procedure for slot allocations at the airports, which would cut down delays in landing.

The court has adjourned the hearing till August 3, to enable petitioners to file a rejoinder.