Delhi Airport seeks financial help from Center

By Ashoke RajNew Delhi [India], April 19 (ANI): Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the national capital, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is facing financial challenges and has sought financial help from the central government.

"The earning of the airports depends on the operations of the flights there. So if the airline companies are facing financial turbulence the airport cannot be immune to that. We were seeing a recovery post lockdown but with the second wave of COVID, we are stuck again," DIAL's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Videh Kumar Jaipuriar told ANI.

Jaipuriar further said that the DIAL authorities have given a detailed presentation to the government about the losses and the financial crunch that they are facing.

"Nearly 80-85 per cent cost for running an airport is fixed which cannot be diluted. We expected the situation to improve in some time but it seems everything depends on how long the second wave of the COVID stabilizes," he added.

Earlier last year, DIAL had announced salary reduction of its employees due to lockdown and as yet, the salaries are to be restored. Over 1500 employees are working directly under DIAL at the Delhi airport.

According to private airlines, they are reducing capacity from 80 per cent to 60 per cent as bookings have fallen by as much as 50 per cent. No airline was in favour of increasing capacity from 80 per cent to 100 per cent in the pandemic.

One low-cost airline has asked the government to acknowledge the old demand for reduction in Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) and excise tax at least during the pandemic. The government has not yet reached any concrete decision on the said demands.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 situation in India continues to deteriorate, as the country yet again reported the highest single-day spike of coronavirus cases with over 2.73 lakh fresh infections and 1,619 deaths in the last 24 hours. (ANI)