Kamal Ghorui
Surat: Even as demand rises for early morning departures and late-night arrivals at Surat Airport, an RTI reply has revealed that all 10 night-parking bays meant for Code-C aircraft (A321, B739) have been allotted to non-scheduled operators.According to airport sources, at least one scheduled airline has sought two night-parking bays at present. However, no slots are currently available, as all 10 bays have reportedly been assigned to owners of non-scheduled aircraft from Surat, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
The revelation has raised serious questions over planning and utilisation of public funds, especially after Surat International Airport underwent a major modernisation project worth Rs 353 crore, including Rs 150 crore spent on expanding aircraft infrastructure.Documents obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act show that the airport has 17 parking bays in total — 13 compatible for Code-C aircraft and four meant for smaller aircraft. However, internal Airports Authority of India (AAI) records indicate that all 10 night-parking bays earmarked for overnight use were allotted to non-scheduled operators, leaving no space for scheduled airlines such as IndiGo, Air India Express and Star Air.The issue persists despite the construction of 18 new parking bays and a parallel taxi track as part of a major airside infrastructure upgrade aimed at boosting flight operations and aircraft movement. Of these 18 bays, five are yet to be operationalised.Airport sources said that among the 10 allotted night-parking bays, three were given to Ventura Airconnect, while one each was allotted to Shreeji Aviation, Rajhans Infracon, Ishwer Dholakia, Steamhouse, KPAI Afrotech, Global Vectra Helicorp and Dharma Nandan Diamond.Rajesh Modi, a long-time tracker of airport development, said, “This reflects serious mismanagement. There is no space for scheduled airlines that drive passenger traffic and regional connectivity. The airport now has permanent 24×7 operations, yet scheduled airlines are being asked to wait. This defeats the purpose of night and early morning operations and raises concerns about how capacity planning is being done.“However, airport authorities maintained that night-parking facilities would be made available once early morning and late-night flights begin operations.“According to rules, night parking is available to any operator — scheduled or non-scheduled — between 10 pm and 6 am. However, we always prioritise scheduled flights. We will shift Ventura aircraft to their hangars, which will free three bays. Soon, five more parking bays for bigger aircraft will also be operationalised as they are in the final phase,” an airport official said.
