Reconstitute AERA appellate tribunal within week: HC to Centre

"It is expected that Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) would have got the recommendation and notify the AERAAT within a week or so. So that the matters like this do not suffer," said Justice Sunil Gaur after being told that so far, the appellate tribunal has not been constituted.

The three-member appellate panel (AERAAT), which hears appeals against tariff decisions of regulator Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), is defunct as its initial two-year tenure has expired in June this year.

As AERAAT is not functioning, the appeals of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), an industry body that represents airlines, against the recent tariff decisions are in limbo.

During hearing, Justice Gaur said, "...It is made clear that in case, today's order (of constituting AERAAT) is not complied with, then the application (of FIA) for stay (on tariff hike) would be heard" and fixed the matter for hearing on August 21.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation, represented by Additional Solicitor General Rajiv Mehra, had earlier told the court that it has already started the process to revive AERAAT.

With AERAAT being defunct, the FIA had filed an appeal in the high court against an April 24 decision of AERA by which DIAL was allowed to have a threefold hike in its aeronautical tariff for the IGI Airport here. (More)