Passengers of Air India and Kingfisher Airlines using Delhi and Hyderabad airports from June 1 can breathe easier now, with senior officials of the GMR group expressing confidence on Monday evening that the process of payment of arrears by these two airlines to the two consortia will start. So far as Air India is concerned, the
government stepped in on Monday to hammer out an agreement between the two GMR-led consortia and Air India. As per this agreement, Air India will submit a payment plan of arrears to the GMR-led consortia.
“Reconciliation meetings” between the two have been scheduled. Simultaneously, the government is also making efforts to expedite payment of arrears amounting to `1,100 crores to Air India for the VVIP travel and also various special flights organised by the airline to North Africa in recent months to transport Indians back home. There are now indications that both Air India and Kingfisher may not be put on “cash and carry” at Delhi and Hyderabad airports from June 1.
It may be recalled that last week, the two GMR-led consortia — managing Delhi and Hyderabad airports — had (earlier) announced that both Air India and private airline Kingfisher Airlines would be allowed to operate flights to and from Delhi and Hyderabad from June 1 only on a “cash and carry” basis in order to recover “significant” dues from the two airlines and had hoped that “these two airline companies will clear major outstanding payments owed by them to DIAL and GHIAL, to avoid inconvenience that might be caused to their passengers with effect from June 1, 2011.” Airport operators charge airlines for facilities at airports. “Cash and carry” meant that unless AI and Kingfisher made daily payments to the Delhi and Hyderabad airport operators, flights of these two airlines could have been cancelled at Delhi and Hyderabad from June 1. But that appears unlikely now.