Centre gives nod for RFQ of Navi Mumbai airport

Inching a step closer to make the long-awaited Navi Mumbai airport a reality, the Centre has given its nod for the proposed international airport to float the Request For Qualification (RFQ).

"Yes, the Centre has given its nod for the RFQ," Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters here recently.

Elaborating on the development, City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Sanjay Bhatia said the decision to float RFQ was taken during a recently held steering committee meeting of the Civil Aviation Ministry in Delhi.

"The process of RFQ will be done in next 15 days. We will also see whether the company which will be selected as part of the PPP project has any past experience for airport contract experience, operations and quality," he said.

After the RFQ process is completed, the government will go ahead with the request for proposal (RFP), wherein it will be seen as to how much revenue the company is ready to share under the public-private-partnership (PPP) project, the senior official said.

He also claimed that the proposed international airport would be the biggest in the country, having a capacity of 60 million passenger per annum. "The airport will be completed in four phases. The first phase is expected to be completed by December 2017. It will also be the seventh biggest international airport in the world," Bhatia said.