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Transferring domestic flights to Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) will not solve any problem and will rather aggravate existing predicaments, said a senior lawmaker here on Sunday.
Vali Azarvash, rapporteur of Majlis Development Commission, told ISNA that it takes the passengers more than an hour to reach the IKIA, whereas most domestic flights take less than 45 minutes.
“Transferring flights to IKIA only because the airport is located out of a civilian area will only add to the current problems and waste time,“ he said, adding that the Parliament does not consider it expedient to move domestic flights to IKIA.
He said the commission has agreed to approve 100 percent of budget proposed by the Ministry of Roads and Transportation for the IKIA development project, underscoring the need to expedite the project.
Imam Khomeini International Airport announced less than two months ago that it requires a budget of 1.2-trillion rials for the year to March 2007.
The report indicated that unless the airport’s financial requirements are met, as was the case the previous year, the airport’s development projects will not proceed as per schedule.
The airport will need 1.2 trillion rials to repay a part of its debts and complete Phase I of its development project next year.
The airport’s current expenses stand at 20 billion rials per month, the report said, adding that the IKIA does not generate new revenues as it is handling the same foreign flights that used to be conducted via Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport.
It put the airport’s revenues during March-October 2005 at 60 billion rials.
The IKIA will have spent more than 200 billion rials until March 2006 on current expenses--a figure which is expected to grow to 250 billion by March 2007.
It said the airport will handle more flights in the next few months, which will increase its revenues considerably. Each flight brings $2,000 to IKIA.
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