ENS

Hyderabad, Mar 15: Minutes after the commissioning of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport - the pride of Hyderabad - the Civil Aviation Ministry deferred commercial operations at the new airport for a ‘few days’.

Operations were scheduled to begin at one minute past midnight on Saturday. In fact, an announcement to this effect was made at the inaugural by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.

Even as the function ended and guests began leaving, news trickled in that passengers eager to board flights at the new airport from tomorrow night may have to wait a few more days.

The date has been deferred following differences between the airport operator and private airlines on several issues, including high ground handling charges.

Confirming this, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited, informed the media that operations would commence in a few days, and not from Saturday midnight.

In a statement, the company said some airlines had approached the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking more time to begin their operations from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.

"Acceding to their request, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has advised us to begin operations in a few days. We will intimate the new date and start operations soon," the company added.

"The commercial functioning of the new airport has been postponed owing to some operational problems that are being worked out," Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.

According to industry sources, many private airlines had asked for postponement of commercial operations after they clashed with airport operator GHIAL on two counts.

Most of the private airlines want to handle the aircraft themselves. But GHIAL wants the airlines to use the ground handlers appointed by it — Menzies Bobba and AI Sats — a joint venture between Air India and Singapore Airlines.

The airlines also argue that charges against ground handling charges are far higher than what they pay at Begumpet airport.