'India needs Rs 36,000 cr in airports'

New Delhi: The country needs a whopping Rs 36,000 crore investment for developing airports, two-third of which is expected to come from private players, a senior Civil Aviation Ministry official said on Wednesday.
Airport Authority of India (AAI) and private developers would invest the money to develop half-a-dozen greenfield and 50 smaller airports in next five years in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar and north-east, K N Srivastava, joint secretary in the ministry, said at a aviation summit.
He also said the ministry was in talks with Indian Air Force authorities to allow airlines use some of its stations during peak hours, beginning with the Hindon Air Force base station in Ghaziabad.
Srivastava said Rs 12,000 crore investment would come from AAI's internal accruals and other sources, while the ministry expected private players such as Tatas and Ambanis to pump in Rs 24,000 crore.
He said the government was planning to build greenfield airports in places like Sirdi and Solapur in Maharashtra, four in north-east and one in Karnataka. Of the 50 smaller airports identified, 12 were in the north-east and eight in Karnataka, besides a few in Bihar, Gujarat and other states.
27/06/07 PTI/Economic Times

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Categories: Airports Jun 2007, New Jun 2007