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Top officials of all leading airlines met Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Tuesday and opposed the proposal to increase airport charges to decongest the airports during peak hours.

In order to decongest airspace over three major airports — Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, the government is planning to increase charges on airlines, which operate flights during peak hours and reduce it during the non-peak timings.

Patel said that the committee formed by the ministry for the plan has given its recommendations but a decision on parking charges will be taken at an appropriate time. However, he also said that the appropriate time should not be linked with the beginning of the summer schedule by the end of this month.

The ministry had proposed to double parking and navigation charges for airlines during peak hours — between 7 am and 10 am and 6 pm to 10 pm — and halve them between midnight and 5 am.

The charges were proposed to be hiked from March 25, the beginning of the summer schedule.

Patel said that the government is also planning to incentivise the non-peak hour.

The airlines officials who met Patel under the banner of the Federation of Indian Airlines included the CMD of Indian Vishwapati Tripathi, Air India Chief V Thulasidas, owner of Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya, Spicejet CEO Bruce Ashby and Jet Airways CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer. 

Email author: sidhartha.roy@hindustantimes.com