Gujarat's Adani Group is reportedly interested in entering the airport sector in its home state. The port-to-power company is said to have joined the fray to manage the Ahmedabad airport.
The Centre has planned to privatise four airports – Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Major players such as GVK, GMR, Tata, Siemens, Flemingo, Essel, IBDF Zurich and Cochin International Airport are said to be in the running to gain access to these lucrative assets.
The move sees the Airports Authority of India (AAI) calling for RFQ (request for quotation) on operations, management and development of infrastructure at the four airports.
It is pertinent here that the government has spent ₹5,000 crore on modernisation of these airports.
Employees of Airports Authority of India (AAI) have criticised the move.
"The government, rather than asking the private corporates to develop greenfield airports, is giving away its own airports to them on a platter. We will not let it happen. Private players are eyeing only revenue-generating AAI airports," AAI Employees Union (AAEU) general secretary Balraj Singh Ahlawat told reporters in New Delhi.
The government is also reportedly keen to ensure that the privatization doesn't lead to unfair burden on airlines and passengers, as it happened in the case of New Delhi and Mumbai.
The Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) will watch the four airports being privatised to ensure that costs don't escalate at a faster clip, as it can lead to increased charges for passengers and airlines, said The Times of India.
