Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram international airport is in the pipeline for partial privatisation among Airport Authority of India’s airports, it is learnt.
AAI has already invited global tenders for outsourcing operation and maintenance of selected areas of the Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports. The next in line are Kolkotta, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, aviation industry sources said.
An AAI official spokesperson told this newspaper that a decision in this regard was yet to be taken. However, highly placed sources in the AAI said that Thiruvananthapuram could get the priority after Kolkotta and Chennai, but may take some time.
AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra even reportedly said that global tenders for operation and maintenance of few more airports will be floated soon.
While outsourcing may enhance the quality of services, it may hike airport charges. Moreover some AAI employees would also have to be redeployed in case of privatisation of select areas.
It was a policy decision of the Centre to allow private participation in existing airports of AAI without capital investments by the private partner. Private participation will be allowed in operation and maintenance of passenger terminal, apron areas, parking areas and other similar areas on a revenue sharing basis with AAI.
Crucial activities like Air Traffic Management and runway operations would be with the AAI.
Thiruvananthapuram airport director George Tharakan said that so far there was no official communication from AAI headquarters regarding outsourcing of operations of the airport.
Meanwhile, an AAI senior official said that the possibility of including Thiruvananthapuram in the second phase of the operation and maintenance outsourcing could not be rule out.
