+
Government to Lease 11 Airports Including Varanasi and Tirupati
AVIATION & AIRPORTS

Government to Lease 11 Airports Including Varanasi and Tirupati

The government plans to award 11 airports, including Varanasi and Tirupati, to private concessionaires under the public-private partnership model in five bundles, according to a civil aviation ministry proposal. The arrangement envisages that each bundle will be awarded to a single concessionaire after competitive bidding. Five major airports will be paired with six smaller facilities to create balanced portfolios that combine passenger traffic potential with development and commercial opportunities.

The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) gave in-principle approval to the proposal at its meeting on August four, and the minutes set out the proposed groupings. Amritsar will be bundled with Kangra-Gaggal while Varanasi will be grouped with Gaya and Kushinagar. Bhubaneswar is to be paired with Hubballi and Raipur with Aurangabad, and Tiruchirappalli will be bundled with Tirupati. The grouping reflects assessments of geographical proximity and complementary traffic profiles.

The airports are to be leased for a concession period of 50 years and the proposal includes a cap on the number of airport bundles that may be awarded to a single bidder to limit market concentration and potential over-leveraging. The ministry has proposed a one-year joint management period involving existing Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees once assets are bid out and a requirement that concessionaires retain 60 per cent of AAI employees for up to three years to ensure continuity of operations.

The 11 sites were selected following a phased, data-driven assessment by the AAI that initially evaluated 12 major airports and subsequently examined 136 smaller airports on parameters such as passenger traffic, land availability, capital expenditure needs and city-side development potential. The AAI board approved the plan on May 23, 2022. The total investment expected from concessionaires is estimated at Rs 86.22 bn and the previous round in 2018-19 involved six airports under PPP.

The government plans to award 11 airports, including Varanasi and Tirupati, to private concessionaires under the public-private partnership model in five bundles, according to a civil aviation ministry proposal. The arrangement envisages that each bundle will be awarded to a single concessionaire after competitive bidding. Five major airports will be paired with six smaller facilities to create balanced portfolios that combine passenger traffic potential with development and commercial opportunities. The Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) gave in-principle approval to the proposal at its meeting on August four, and the minutes set out the proposed groupings. Amritsar will be bundled with Kangra-Gaggal while Varanasi will be grouped with Gaya and Kushinagar. Bhubaneswar is to be paired with Hubballi and Raipur with Aurangabad, and Tiruchirappalli will be bundled with Tirupati. The grouping reflects assessments of geographical proximity and complementary traffic profiles. The airports are to be leased for a concession period of 50 years and the proposal includes a cap on the number of airport bundles that may be awarded to a single bidder to limit market concentration and potential over-leveraging. The ministry has proposed a one-year joint management period involving existing Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees once assets are bid out and a requirement that concessionaires retain 60 per cent of AAI employees for up to three years to ensure continuity of operations. The 11 sites were selected following a phased, data-driven assessment by the AAI that initially evaluated 12 major airports and subsequently examined 136 smaller airports on parameters such as passenger traffic, land availability, capital expenditure needs and city-side development potential. The AAI board approved the plan on May 23, 2022. The total investment expected from concessionaires is estimated at Rs 86.22 bn and the previous round in 2018-19 involved six airports under PPP.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

EPFO Wage Ceiling Raised to Rs 25,000 per Month

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to increase the wage ceiling for mandatory coverage under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per month. The move is expected to bring over 51 lakh additional employees under the EPFO social security framework.The revised ceiling will extend access to provident fund savings, pension benefits under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS) and insurance coverage under the Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI) to a wider section of employees earning between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 per month.The EPFO..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Maharashtra to Get Rs 270 Billion Shipbuilding Cluster

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) will invest around Rs 27,000 crore to develop a greenfield shipbuilding cluster at Dighi Port in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. The project is expected to create nearly 90,000 employment opportunities, according to the state government.MDL has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Park Maharashtra Ltd (NSHIPML) for the development of the project in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.Under the agreement, MDL aims to establish an annual shipbuilding capacity of at least 2 million ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Railways Opens Five Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals in Gujarat

Union Minister for Railways Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for five Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals (GCTs) in Gujarat, strengthening the state’s freight handling capacity and connectivity with markets across the country. The Shivlakha GCT in Kachchh was inaugurated, while the GCTs at Bhimasar in Kachchh, Devaliya in Morbi and Chandisar in Banaskantha were dedicated to the nation. The foundation stone was also laid for the upcoming GCT at Linch in Mahesana. During the event, the Railway Minister flagged off a salt-loaded freight train fr..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code