Come September, passengers hoping to check in from the airline counters at any of the three stations in Delhi to reach the airport in 18 minutes flat (from Connaught Place) might be in for a rude shock.
Leading airlines have rejected a proposal by the Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd – being operated by the Reliance ADAG group – asking them to pay for the check-in counters and other back-end facilities and services.
The airlines said the metro company have demanded exorbitant rates for the service – equivalent to what DIAL is charging from them at the airport for common user terminal services, including check-in and baggage-handling facilities.
They said the existing rates airlines pay for the services at the new Terminal-3 (T3) is Rs 35 per passenger for a domestic flight and Rs 51 for international flights. For domestic flights which will eventually shift to T3 the rate is Rs 45 per passenger.
“We have told the metro company that they should talk to DIAL as this is just an extension of the airport in a remote location. And we are already paying DIAL for these services, so why should we pay such exorbitant rates. After all every penny counts,” said a top executive of one of the country’s leading airlines.
A source in Air India said: “The question of opening or not opening a check-in will be based on whether it is at all viable, as we have to station people there and this would incur a cost. Surely we don’t want to open check-in counters in all three stations.”
The three stations where check-in counters have been set up are Connaught Place, Shivaji Stadium and Dhaula Kuan. The airport express is expected to start operations in August-September and was to be showcased to the world during the Commonwealth Games. With both sides in a deadlock, the civil aviation ministry has intervened and is talking to the airlines for a possible solution.
However, sources in the Delhi Airport Metro Express said they have invested a substantial amount in creating the airline infrastructure which includes check-in counters, flight display boards, luggage handling facility and security.
“We have created a world class infrastructure in these stations and all we are asking for is a nominal charge for their usage. After all they are paying to DIAL so why not us. You can’t expect us to offer this on charity we need to defray our cost.”
The metro company has begun with about 15 check-in counters but can upgrade to 50 counters as and when the demand increases. It is expecting over 20,000 to 25,000 passengers every day in the beginning. To achieve that objective the fare has been priced competitively at Rs 150. For the time being it will not charge for baggage which will be carried on the train.
