Chennai airport privatisation deferred to April

The privatisation process for the Chennai airport has been deferred, this time to April.

This is the fourth instance of such a decision being made, said sources. The process has been deferred again as the concession agreement has not been finalised yet, officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said.

The request for qualification (RFQ) for the airport that first started in November last year was subsequently shifted to December, January and February.

On Monday, it was deferred to April 16.

There are several steps before the draft concession agreement is finalised, according to an AAI official. Soon after it is drafted, it has to get clearance from the planning commission, Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, he said.

Even if the RFQ takes place next month, the process of bidding may not happen until the elections are over and the new government is formed, the official said.

Many infrastructure companies, including GVK, Reliance and GMR Airports Ltd., have shown interest in bidding for the Chennai airport, say sources.

The proposal to privatise the Chennai airport was mooted in September last year and came amidst opposition from the Airports Authority Employees’ Union (AAEU).

Keywords: Chennai airport privatisation, Airports Authority Employees’ Union, request for qualification