NEW DELHI: The Parliament was informed on Monday that a total of 25 airports have been designated for lease between 2022 and 2025 in accordance with the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP). This was informed in Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen. V.K. Singh (retd.) 

These airports are Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Raipur, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna.  Eight of the AAI's airports have been leased through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) for long-term operations, management, and development. These include the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, the Mangaluru International Airport, the Jaipur International Airport, and the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.

The Minister stated that AAI airports are leased out for the benefit of the public in order to improve management by utilising private sector efficiency and investment.

He added that airports have developed into a hub of economic activity and have a multiplier effect on the economy of the state. States and passengers are the ultimate beneficiaries of improved airport infrastructure and facilities created by private partners, who operate, manage, and develop the leased airport under PPP.

The revenue received by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) from the leased airports is also utilised in the development of airport infrastructure across the country, he added.

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