Shamshabad International Airport is going to be inaugurated on March 14. It is expected to take indian airports to new heights

But why it should kill Begumpet Airport or why that should make domestic travel unpleasant? Closure of Begumpet airport will make domestic flights meaningles if not stupid for Hyderabad.  Because one has to spend about thousand rupees on user charges and another thousand on taxis to ferry you about 30 kilometres from Shamshabad. About Rs 2000 one needs to spend besides three or more hours for about 100 minutes airtime to any other city. Domestic air tickets now costing as little as Rs 2000 to Rs 3000, by  some airlines, make traveling by Shamshabad a crazy proposition

Domestic travel will be like Chaai ka dho anaa, glasska baaraa anaa 

Airports Authority Employees Union also opposed the move and appealed to Government of India to continue domestic flights from Begumpet. Seventy years old Begumpet Airport, sixth largest in India, had growth of 40% to 50% traffic and non-traffic revenues during the year. The proposed closure is in voilation of Common Minimum Programme of central government that promised not to privatise profit making PSUs. Closing the profit making Begumpet airport is disguised privatisation and causing hardships to the passengers.

Why should an airport that is very convenient to public be closed down to benefit a private airport?

Many big cities in the world have more  than one airport. But with Shamshabad airport and the plans to close Begumepet, there cannot be one more airport in Telangana in future because the agreement made with GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd doesnot allow another airport within 150 kms radius which covers almost every other district of Telangana excpet Adilabad and Nizamabad. 

Only civil society pressure can stop the foolish closure of Begumpet Airport and stop its conversion into some big mall or malls.

Reports from Times of India, The Hindu & Business Line with details FYI

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Airport employees close ranks

 

S. Sandeep Kumar

Urge Government to continue operations at Begumpet airport

 

 

HYDERABAD: Airports Authority Employees Union (AAEU) on Tuesday made a strong appeal to the Government of India to continue operations at Begumpet airport even after Shamshabad airport became operational.

Members of AAEU across the country gathered on Hyderabad airport premises to conduct a mega public convention against the proposal of closing down Begumpet airport, the sixth largest airport in India, in the wake of commissioning Shamshabad airport.

They said the move to close down Begumpet airport would not only affect the livelihood of airport employees but would also result in causing great inconvenience to passengers, as Shamshabad airport was nearly 30 kilometres away from the city.

Moreover, heavy user charges will be collected from passengers at Shamshabad airport which would be an additional burden on them. Employees were not against opening of new airports but they should be made to establish on their own without closing the existing airports, said CITU National Secretary and former Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Civil Aviation, Dipanker Mukherjee, while speaking on the occasion.

“The government under the Common Minimum Programme stated that no profit making public sector units shall be privatised but by proposing to close down profit making Begumpet airport it was promoting privatisation,” he charged.

AAEU president S.R. Santhanam informed that the study committee appointed by the Government in 2002 recommended to Airports Authority of India that Begumpet airport had sufficient infrastructure to handle air traffic for next 15 years. With a workforce of over 500 regular and 5,000 contract employees, Begumpet airport operates over 250 scheduled flights per day of 10 domestic and 13 international operators. (ఇంకా…)