AAI proposes privatisation of 6 airports including Amritsar, Varanasi

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has recommended the Centre to privatise airports at Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur and Trichy, a senior government official said.

The recommendation came as the central government has already privatised airports at Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati for operation, management and development through public-private partnership (PPP) model in February this year.

"As six airports have already been privatised in February this year, the AAI in its board meeting on September 5 decided to privatise six more airports: Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur and Trichy," a senior government official told PTI.

"Once the board took this decision, the recommendation was sent to the Ministry of Civil Aviation," the official added.

The AAI, which works under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, owns and manages more than 100 airports across the country.

In February this year, in the first round of airport privatisation, the Adani Group bagged contract for all six airports by winning the bids with huge margins.

The AAI had chosen the winner on the basis of the "per-passenger fee" offered by the bidders.

On July 3, the Union Cabinet had approved the leasing out of Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangalore airports to Adani Group. The cabinet is yet to approve the leasing out of the other three.