Deadline extended to select key airport operators

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has extended the deadline for short-listing operators for Chennai and Kolkata airports, hence privatisation of the two key airports will be delayed, say media reports. The date for Chennai airport has been extended by seven weeks to December 23, and for Kolkata, from November 25 to January 20. For the Ahmedabad airport, too, the short-listing date has been extended to January 20 from November 20. The only exception is Lucknow airport, where the date has been advanced to November 27 from December 15. The schedule for bidding will be announced separately.