Dublin: Aer Lingus has emerged victorious in a three-decade-long legal battle with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) over landing and parking charges. The dispute involved two Boeing 737 aircraft leased by Aer Lingus to the now-defunct Indian airline East West Airlines.
The Bombay Civil Court upheld Aer Lingus’s argument that AAI had no legal authority to collect landing and parking charges from the airline, as Aer Lingus was the owner of the aircraft leased to East West Airlines. The court also ordered AAI to pay ₹10 million in damages. The landmark verdict was secured by an Indian legal firm representing Aer Lingus.
In 1993, East West Airlines leased the two Boeing 737 aircraft from Aer Lingus. However, the aircraft were never put into service, resulting in unpaid landing fees. By 1996, East West Airlines entered liquidation, prompting AAI to attempt to impound the Aer Lingus aircraft as a means of recovering the outstanding charges.
Aer Lingus subsequently initiated legal action to reclaim the aircraft, providing a bank guarantee for the amount demanded by AAI to secure their release. In 1997, the two aircraft were returned to Dublin via Izmir, Turkey. The planes were later sold to a European lessor and are now operating in Kenya.
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