"Airlines suffering but Japan airport fees remain exorbitant - IATA chief"

Tuesday, October 8, 2002

Airlines suffering but Japan airport fees remain exorbitant - IATA chief



TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - Airlines around the world are suffering losses and
job cuts while airport operators including Japan's Narita airport, the
world's costliest hub, are still raking in profits, the International
Air Transport Association (IATA) said. 

"If one of the partners in a partnership is losing his shirt while the
other is counting his money, it is no longer a partnership," IATA
director general Giovanni Bisignani told a meeting of airport executives
in Tokyo. 

In the wake of the Sept 11 terror attacks last year, airlines lost 18
bln usd in 2001 and expect to lose another 10-12 bln usd in 2002, said
Bisignani, whose organization represents 273 airlines around the world. 

Although airports in Singapore and Hong Kong cut landing rates by 10-15
pct in the wake of the terror attacks last October, Japan remains a
stubborn holdout, he told reporters later. 

Narita charges a fee of 2,400 yen a tonne, or about 7,755 usd for each
747 aircraft, 2.3 times the cost in Hong Kong, 3.9 times that in
Singapore, and 14.9 times the cost at London's Heathrow airport, IATA
figures showed. 

"What we ask is that we restart negotiations and we agree with reduced
charges reflecting the cost of the services," he said of fees that have
not changed since 1984. 

Negotiations with Narita, which is 100 pct owned by Japan's transport
ministry, broke off in April after talks that began last fall. 

IATA officials said the planned privatization of the airport remained
unclear, stalling negotiation over the landing fee.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID8

*****************************************