Deccan to buy stake in airport combine

Bangalore: Deccan Aviation, which runs low cost airline Air Deccan, is likely to pick up a stake in a consortium that will help identify and build low-cost airports in India.
Executive Chairman Captain G R Gopinath told Business Standard that they were in the "final stages" of forming the four-member consortium, of which Deccan Aviation is also included.
"The three others are corporate entities with interests in infrastructure. Our mission is to achieve equitable development across Karnataka and the rest of the country," he said.
In the recent past, Captain Gopinath has been an active spokesperson for the low-cost airport concept as a means to connect small towns and cities to the rest of the country.
"Development has to extend to the fringes of a country as well and not just the capital cities. Connectivity plays a crucial role in this," he said.
Several states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Assam, Tamilnadu, Orissa and Bihar are believed to have started identifying greenfield or unutilised airport projects for the low-cost venture. Private sector entities such as the Tatas and GMR Group, which have expressed interest in these projects, will eventually bid for them.
27/07/07 Meera Vankipuram/Business Standard/Rediff

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Categories: Air Deccan Jul 2007, Airports Jul 2007, New Jul 2007