Global bidding to select O&M partners for airports: Sinha

Airports Authority of India (AAI) will come out with a global competitive bidding process for selecting partners to carry out operation and maintenance works at some airports, the government said today.

"AAI has decided for selection of O&M (Operation & Maintenance) partners through a global competitive bidding after obtaining approval of the competent authority," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the Rajya Sabha.

The transaction documents for O&M process are in place, he added.

He was responding to a question on whether the government is considering international bidding process for choosing entities to operate and maintain some of the domestic airports.
 

To a query, Sinha said the proposed partnership with Singapore's Changi Airports International for O&M contracts for Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports "could not materialise as the fee demanded by them was not found financially viable to AAI".

The national airports' operator has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise for cooperation in various areas of the civil aviation sector.

One of the areas of cooperation under the MoU includes implementation of O&M at Indian airports.

"In terms of the MoU, the Singapore government nominated Changi Airports International as an O&M contract partner for the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airport projects," the Minister said.

However, the partnership could not materialise due to financial viability issues.