Next Round of Airport Privatisation to Begin in 1st Quarter of 2021: AAI Chairman

 The next round of airport privatisation will be beginning in the first quarter of 2021 after all government approvals are received, said Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman as quoted by news agency PTI. Also Read - Alia Bhatt Says 'Don’t Kill My Vibe' in a Green Joggers, Bomber Jacket And Bustier Worth Rs 16K

Addressing a media briefing, AAI Chairman Arvind Singh said that the government is planning to hold the next round of privatisation of airports in the first half of 2021. “As far as the next round of airports’ privatisation is concerned, we are at the final stages of obtaining government approvals. Once the approvals are received, I think we will start the process of bidding in the first quarter of 2021,” he said. Also Read - Hyderabad International Airport Gets India’s First IoT Enabled Smart Trolleys

Earlier in September, the AAI had recommended the Centre to privatise airports at Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur and Trichy. Also Read - West Bengal Lockdown: Flight Operations Suspended on Lockdown Days, People Still Flouting Restrictions

In the first round of airports’ privatisation under the Narendra Modi government, the Adani Group in February bagged contracts for six airports — Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati — winning the bids by huge margins.

After signing the concession agreements for three airports — Lucknow, Ahmedabad and Mangaluru — the AAI handed them over to the Adani group earlier this year.

The concession agreements for the remaining three airports would be signed in the first half of next month, Singh said.