....A top airline official said it was incongruous that India was building expensive and opulent airports at a time when its own domestic market was shifting to a low-cost passenger base.
“We’re building these airports right now in India when 75% of even the domestic flights are in the low-fare, low-cost category,” said Suresh Nair (...guess what , a fellow mallu to make you believe better
), South Asia head for budget airline AirAsia.
“Does a low-cost airline need the infrastructure that is being built? The answer is no. I can understand a bigger terminal, but rest of the luxuries are being built to satisfy these 25% of fliers,” Nair said.
AirAsia pulled out of Hyderabad airport this year citing high costs.
Nair said the focus should be not on building “white elephants”, but “smart and effective terminals” like in Kuala Lumpur where, for instance, passengers walk out of the aircraft and into the terminal instead of using aerobridges. Such measures help airlines save on high tariffs and customers fly on cheaper fares.