Centre today informed the Delhi High Court that it has already started the process to revive the defunct Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal (AERAAT). The AERAAT decides tariff disputes. The three-member appellate tribunalis is defunct as its initial tenure of two years expired in June this year, leaving the appeals of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), an industry body that represents airlines in an abyss.
"The action has already been initiated for appointment of the appellate tribunal and the matter is pending before the competent authority, the Cabinet Committee," Additional Solicitor General Rajiv Mehra, appearing for the Civil Aviation Ministry, told Justice Sunil Gaur.
The response of the aviation ministry came during the hearing of FIA's appeal against an April 24 decision of Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) by which the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) was allowed to have a threefold hike in its aeronautical tariff for the IGI Airport here.
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the FIA, said, "The order of the AERA be stayed as the exorbitant hike, allowed by it, in the aeronautical tariff has made the IGI Airport as the costliest airport in the world. It added that Dubai airport, on the other hand, is the cheapest.
"The airlines industry, which is going through a bad patch, is finding it difficult to cope up with the pressure and some of the companies may become sick."
The court, which did not grant an interim relief to FIA, has now posted the matter for further hearing on August 7.
The AERA, on 24 April, had permitted DIAL to increase the airport charges for IGI Airport by 345 per cent for next two years. The authority had also approved the DIAL's demand for the first time to levy a user development fee (UDF) on all passengers, including those who arrive at the airport. DIAL, however, had sought an 874 per cent increase in tariffs.
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