Civil Aviation Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain has cleared privatisation of 10 regional airports—Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bodh Gaya, Kozhikode, Goa and Jaipur, Lucknow, Trichy, Thiruvananthapuram and Udaipur.“I have signed the file and we will set the ball rolling soon to open up these airports to private sector,” Hussain said. The minister, who completed one year as the civil aviation minister on September 1, said the privatisation process of the four metro airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata — would be completed within this financial year. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will hold a ‘nominal stake’ in the 10 regional airports which have been selected for privatisation. Involvement of AAI as a stake holder will help the government avoid amendment to AAI Act for privatisation of airports.The government has already held roadshows overseas and within the country for privatisation of the four metro airports on a long-term lease basis. As many as 80 companies are believed to have evinced interest during the roadshows. On privatisation of Indian Airlines and Air-India through the disinvestment process, Hussain said, “Nothing is happening in the near future. Our focus at the moment is on improving operational and financial performance of the two airlines and expansion of their fleet.”
