To smoothen revamp, Delhi airport gets licence, Mumbai next in line

Ahead of the signing tomorrow of the Operation, Management and Development Agreement with private players for the modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports

Ahead of the signing tomorrow of the Operation, Management and Development Agreement (OMDA) with private players for the modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted licence to the Delhi airport. The licence for Mumbai is expected by tomorrow evening.

This is for the first time that an airport under the Airports Authority of India has been granted a licence. AAI had contested this earlier but eventually fell in line. However, this delayed the submission of plans to DGCA and so the last-minute hurry now.

A result of hectic bureaucratic activity in DGCA over the weekend, the licence has been granted for six months and will now throw open Delhi airport to regular auditing by DGCA, even after it is handed over to a private operator for modernisation.

Official sources said that efforts were on to grant a similar licence to Mumbai around the time OMDA is inked. This is the mother document for the entire restructuring exercise.

The development assumes significance in the wake of the fact that the government is all set to sign an OMDA with the designated private players—GMR group for Delhi airport and GVK group for Mumbai—on April 4.