The Airports Authority of India will hand over the operations, management and administration of Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, and Jaipur airports to Adani Enterprises Ltd in January. Addressing a press conference today, Airports Authority of India Chairman Arvind Singh said the agency would soon sign a concession agreement with Adani Enterprises for the handover.
In August, the Cabinet had approved leasing out Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports to Adani Enterprises. In February 2019, the company had emerged as the top bidder to operate, manage and develop airports in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, and Guwahati on the basis of per passenger fee payable to the Airports Authority for a period of 50 years.
While Adani Enterprises took over the operations of Lucknow, Mangaluru and Ahmedabad airports in October, the handover of Thiruvananthapuram airport was delayed as Kerala government moved court against the lease. The transfer of operations of Guwahati and Jaipur airports to the group also saw roadblocks over land-related concerns. "Kerala High Court upheld the bidding process for PPP (public-private partnership) of Thiruvananthapuram airport...all the hurdles for the remaining airports has been cleared, their security clearance has also been obtained...," said Pradeep Singh Kharola, secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The Airports Authority has recommended the privatisation of Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur, and Tiruchirappalli airports in the coming year, and is finalising tender-related modalities.
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