Jet, Kingfisher want to shift out of Terminal 3 at Delhi
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Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines want to move out of the spanking new terminal opened at the Delhi airport last year, angered by the high price of fuel being charged at India’s showpiece airport project. Economic Times reported that they have told the ministry of civil aviation that they want to move out of Terminal 3 (T3) to Terminal 1D, which was their base of operations till last year. While Jet wants to shift only its low-fare services Jet Konnect and JetLite, Kingfisher wants to move its entire operations out of the new terminal. In a separate communication to the airport regulator, the airlines also complained about the difference in fuel prices at the two terminals. The report said they were talking to the airport operator, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), to find a way out of the impasse. Terminal 3 charges more for fuel because of extra infrastructural facilities such as underground pipelines. SpiceJet and Indigo use the old terminal and pay less for fuel. According to officials at Kingfisher and Jet, the cost of refuelling planes at T3 is INR 800-1200 per kilolitre more than what IndiGo and SpiceJet pay at Terminal ID. T3 was widely billed as India’s answer to ultra-modern airports in Singapore, Amsterdam, Malaysia and London when it was inaugurated with much fanfare last year. Several airlines immediately shifted to it, but airport authorities faced a tough time in the first few months due to transition troubles of Air India. “Why should I pay more to get my aircraft refueled? Just because their fuel comes from a bowser (tank that carries aviation fuel) and my fuel comes from a pipe (new infrastructure at T3 which has underground pipelines)? There should be a level playing field for all airlines,” an unnamed top official from Jet Airways was quoted saying.DIAL said it has not received anything in writing from the airlines.
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