The Bombay High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the daily eight-hour closure of Nagpur airport since March 2024 and has sought responses from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airport Authority of India (AAI), and others. The court noted that this situation is causing significant inconvenience to passengers.
A bench of Justices N.W. Sambre and Abhay Mantri referred to media reports claiming minimal repair efforts have been made to restore normalcy over the past four months. The high court emphasized that flyers traveling to and from central India are experiencing considerable hardship and inconvenience.
The division bench highlighted the importance of Nagpur’s geographical location, stating, “Considering the geographical location of Nagpur city, being the center of the country, the operation of the airport is for the convenience of the people residing in central India.”
Notices were issued to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, AAI, the Maharashtra government’s Department of Civil Aviation, Maharashtra Airport Development Company, and the Multi Modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN).
The court will hear the matter again on August 14, 2024.
