DIAL cries foul over flight operations from Hindon airport in Ghaziabad

Delhi HC refuses to grant interim relief, but agrees to hear plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to grant the GMR Group-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) any interim relief on its plea challenging the operation of commercial flights from Hindon airport in Ghaziabad. The court, however, agreed to hear DIAL’s plea and sought a response from the central government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) within two weeks. The case will next be heard at the end of March.

 

DIAL, which runs Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi, is a joint venture, formed as a consortium between GMR Airports Limited (64 per cent), AAI (26 per cent), and Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide (10 per cent).

 

Senior advocate Maninder Singh, who appeared for DIAL, argued that the Centre’s decision to commence flight operations from an airport within an aerial distance of 150 kilometres of IGI airport was in violation of the aviation policy and the “state support agreement” between them. He said unless IGI airport reached its saturation, there was an obligation on the authorities to ensure no other airport was allowed to operate near it, as it would make the former unviable.

 

In its response, the central government said that stopping commercial flights that currently operate from Hindon airport would impact the passengers, and therefore should be allowed to continue for now. The Ghaziabad-based airport operates over 120 commercial flights weekly, the Centre informed the court.

 

Monday’s plea is the third time DIAL has moved against the Union government with a similar plea. 

 

In 2023, DIAL had withdrawn its first plea, saying it needed to add certain facts to its plea. A second plea with similar prayer was also withdrawn by the company in January 2025 as DIAL told the court it wanted the ‘liberty to make representation to the Centre and the AAI.

 

GMR did not respond to queries seeking its response on the two instances of it withdrawing the pleas moved before the Delhi HC.

 

DIAL filed the latest plea in January 2024, saying the Centre’s October 2023 decision to expand Hindon’s operations was “unfair, arbitrary, and commercially unfeasible”. 

Case file

 

>Delhi HC seeks response from central government, Airports Authority of India

>DIAL alleges Centre has breached the aviation policy by allowing operation of commercial flights from Hindon airport in Ghaziabad

>Centre says stopping commercial flights from the airport would impact  passengers

 

(With inputs from PTI)