New Delhi: Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Arvind Singh told a press conference here Tuesday that the government is planning to hold the next round of privatisation of airports in the first half of 2021. “As far as the next round of airports’ privatisation is concerned, we are at the final stages of obtaining government approvals. Once the approvals are received, I think we will start the process of bidding in the first quarter of 2021,” he said.
It should be stated here that the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar is among the airports that will be privatised. The AAI had in September recommended the Centre to privatise airports at Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur and Trichy.
In the first round of airports’ privatisation under the Narendra Modi government, the Adani Group in February bagged contracts for six airports. They are Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati. The Adani Group won the bids by huge margins.
After signing the concession agreements for three airports – Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Mangaluru – the AAI handed them over to the Adani Group earlier this year. The concession agreements for the remaining three airports would be signed in the first half of next month, Singh said.
The AAI, works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It manages more than 100 airports across India.