Airport privatisation may not be forever: ACI chief

Indicating that privatisation of Kolkata and Chennai airports' management should not be permanent, a global airport expert has said such a move by the government should be intended only to give a "breather" to the Airports Authority of India which has modernised them.

"I don't know how much the AAI was involved in the decision-making process. Sometimes, it makes sense to outsource certain areas at least for some time. When you privatise something, it is not necessarily forever. It is a breathing spell... To give time to catch your breath," global airports body Airports Council International (ACI) Director General Angela Gittens told PTI here.

The chief of ACI, which represents 573 members operating 1,751 airports in 174 countries and territories across the globe, was asked about government's recent decision to privatise management control of the Kolkata and Chennai airports through global competitive bidding.

AAI modernised Chennai airport at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore, while Kolkata airport was refurbished for Rs 2,350 crore. The two are the highest revenue earners for AAI.

Gittens, who was here to attend IATA's (International Air Transport Association) annual general meeting, also said, "What's happening in India is that growth is happening faster than the development of facilities. So it may not be realistic to expect that one airport authority is going to manage all that growth right away."

A former CEO of two of the world's largest airports -- Miami and Atlanta, Gittens strongly favoured India developing at least Delhi and Mumbai airports as hubs for local airlines. But she also pointed out that there was no Indian carrier currently in a position to fully operate a hub.

"India has so much growth. But there is not a single hub as such. Dubai is a big hub. Post the Jet-Etihad deal, Abu Dhabi is likely to become another international hub. But what will happen to Indian airports after all the infrastructure development?" the ACI chief said.