Airport PPPs on a crowded runway; private sector bids could be subdued

Last August, the government announced intent to sell stakes in four privately-run airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru) and lease 25 other airports owned by AAI under NMP

Airports hold pride of place in the government’s National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) programme to monetise public assets. Private airport operators, including the Adani group, Fairfax, GMR and Zurich Airport, are expected to evince interest in the next round of public private partnership (PPP) development of state-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI) airports. Industry analysts, however, do not expect bids to be as high as the last round, which saw Adani group gain control of six airports.

“We are open to further opportunities to invest in India. Zurich Airport International believes in the growth and continuous maturity of the Indian aviation sector.