'Hurting passengers': Ex-Infosys CFO calls for mandatory aerobridge use where available

Mohandas Pai, former Infosys CFO and chairman of Aarin Capital, on Tuesday backed a call for airports to make greater use of aerobridges, saying high airport charges were hurting passengers who are instead taken to aircraft by buses.

"Very true. Very high charges by airports is hurting passengers who are herded into buses. Use of aero bridge should be mandatory if available," Pai wrote on X.

Pai was responding to author Anuradha Goyal, who had tagged Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and raised concerns over passengers being taken by bus even when aerobridges are available.

"Namaste @RamMNK ji, aerobridges lie idle while passengers are shuttled in buses. It is not just inconvenient, but also adds to the non-flying time we spend on airports. Please do something to minimize the used of busses and maximize use of aerobridges," Goyal wrote.

Who pays for the aerobridge?

A user on X pointed out that the decision to use an aerobridge is taken by airlines, rather than the government. The user also suggested that airlines may find buses cheaper than aerobridges.

Goyal acknowledged the point but said the practice should change. "I know. But it needs to change - their greed is inconvenient for us," she wrote.

Entrepreneur Ikas Poddar offered a different explanation for why airlines may continue using buses.

"Airline has incurred a fixed cost for using the bus. Now if they use a free aero bridge they pay the aero bridge charges as well as the bus cost they have already incurred. The aero bridge is free now but not always," Poddar wrote.