Delhi High Court Quizzes Government Over Commercial Flights From Hindon Airbase

New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): The
Delhi High Court
has served a notification to the Union of India and other parties involved following a petition submitted by
Delhi International Airport Limited
(
DIAL
) contesting the administration’s choice to permit business aviation services
Hindon Airforce Station
, an air defense base located close to Delhi.

Justice Sachin Datta, who is handling the case, ordered the government to submit its reply within three weeks. The subsequent hearing is set for April 28.

Senior Counsel Maninder Singh, advocating for
DIAL
asserted that the Government of India might authorize the creation of a new airport solely under particular circumstances. Such prerequisites involve the current airport attaining maximum passenger capacity, an absence of available flight slots, and ensuring that the proposed airport wouldn’t compromise the economic viability of the present infrastructure.

DIAL
In its appeal, it expressed reservations about communiqués released by the Airports Authority of India (
AAI
) on October 31, 2023, to multiple airlines. The messages these notifications conveyed were regarding the accessibility of the
Hindon Airforce Station
For commercial flight activities, we urged them to consider expanding the number of flights from the airbase and to provide their flight timetables for review.
AAI
‘s slot allocation team.

DIAL
argued that allowing commercial flights from Hindon might undermine the economic stability of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The petition also contended that the authorities’ choice went against aviation rules that forbid setting up a new airport within a 150-kilometer range of an operational one unless there is sufficient passenger traffic to justify it.

Pointing out a possible bias due to conflicting interests,
DIAL
alleged that
AAI
, which manages the Hindon site, also has an ownership share in
DIAL
and holds three seats on the board.
DIAL
contended that
AAI
, having access to sensitive information about
DIAL
‘business tactics have worked counter to their best interests.’

The plea also emphasized
DIAL
represents significant expenditures totaling around INR 29,374.58 crore by December 2024 aimed at upgrading and expanding IGIA to accommodate rising passenger and cargo traffic. Furthermore, an extra INR 15,000 crore is being invested in both aeronautical and non-aeronautical infrastructure improvements. Additionally,
DIAL
Concessionaires have invested substantially in different airport infrastructures. (ANI)