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AAI Seeks Bids For Six Airports, To Finalise Bidders On Feb. 28

AAI will choose the bidders to operate its aerodromes at Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow and three other places. 

Airplanes operate at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. (Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg)
Airplanes operate at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. (Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg)

The Airports Authority of India will choose the bidders to operate its aerodromes at Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow and three other places on the basis of "per-passenger fee" and finalise the bids on Feb. 28.

As part of an open international competitive bidding process, AAI has sought bidders for carrying out operations, management and development of the six airports. Last month, the government cleared a proposal for managing six AAI-run airports on public-private partnership basis.

The airports are those at Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

In similar but separate tender documents issued on Dec. 14, the AAI said the successful bidders would be decided on the basis of fee that would be charged from each domestic passenger.

The deadline for submitting the bids is Feb. 14 and the winning bidders would be finalised on Feb. 28.

"Bids are invited for the project on the basis of the per-passenger fee for domestic passengers,” according to one of the documents. “The per-passenger fee for domestic passengers shall constitute the sole criteria for appointment of the selected bidder."

The move to manage the six airports on a PPP basis, according to the AAI, is part of initiatives to provide world-class infrastructure and services to stakeholders.

The PPP model for the six airports would be done through the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee. Any issue that is beyond the scope of the committee would be dealt with by an empowered group of secretaries.

Headed by the NITI Aayog chief executive officer, secretaries of Civil Aviation Ministry, Department of Economic Affairs and Department of Expenditure would be part of the group, the government had said in November.