Government of India (GoI) has granted ‘in-principle’ approval for setting up of 14 Greenfield airports namely, Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; Shimoga, Gulbarga, Hassan and Bijapur in Karnataka; Kannur in Kerala; Pakyong in Sikkim; Datia/Gwalior (Cargo) in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh; Karaikal in Puducherry; and Dholera in Gujarat. Further, Government has laid down Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) of air transport services taking into account the need for air transport services of different regions of the country. However, it is up to the airlines to provide services to different regions depending on their commercial viability subject to compliance of RDG.
As per the Greenfield Airport Policy, 2008, financing and development of a Greenfield airport is the responsibility of the Airport developer. Government of India has established Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) under the Act of Parliament, AERA Act, 2008, for determination of charges in respect of aeronautical services provided at major airports in the country.
AERA determines aeronautical charges for each airport separately considering various aspects of the airport viz. investment on infrastructure, cost of operations, improvement of service level, viability of the airport etc. Fuel charges component on airfare is levied by airlines under the provisions of Rule 135 of Aircraft Rules, 1937 according to which every air transport undertaking engaged in scheduled air services are required to establish tariff having regard to all relevant factors, including the cost of operation, characteristic of services, reasonable profit and the generally prevailing tariff. As per approved summer schedule 2016, there is no scheduled flight to/from Mount Abu.
