New Delhi: The response to the pre-application conference on airport privatisation on February 11 was muted. "There were only 12 players, and only six companies were serious," says a senior executive of a leading airport company. "In 2013," he contrasts, "there were over two dozen aspirants for six airports, including international players. The interest in airports is clearly waning."
The executive was talking about yet another attempt, this time by the National Democratic Alliance government, to offer the management, operation and development of four airports run by the state-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI) to the private sector on a revenue sharing model. The prize on offer: the airports in Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
Airport privatisation has always been mired in controversy. In 2010, when the United Progressive Alliance government opted for the privatisation of the country's two main airports of Delhi and Mumbai and followed it up by inviting private sector participation in building two new airports for Bengaluru and Hyderabad, there were allegations of political interference and accusation by the Comptroller and Auditor General of losses to the government because of improper structuring of privatisation.
23/02/15 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard
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The executive was talking about yet another attempt, this time by the National Democratic Alliance government, to offer the management, operation and development of four airports run by the state-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI) to the private sector on a revenue sharing model. The prize on offer: the airports in Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
Airport privatisation has always been mired in controversy. In 2010, when the United Progressive Alliance government opted for the privatisation of the country's two main airports of Delhi and Mumbai and followed it up by inviting private sector participation in building two new airports for Bengaluru and Hyderabad, there were allegations of political interference and accusation by the Comptroller and Auditor General of losses to the government because of improper structuring of privatisation.
23/02/15 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard
