Singapore firm protests Indian airports management’s ‘bias’

New Delhi: A Singapore-based firm has accused the state-managed Airports Authority of India (AAI) of bias in a deal for installing common use terminal equipment (CUTE) at 13 airfields across the country, saying its rival was unfairly selected. Terming the selection process as “unjust”, “illegal”, “prejudicial” and “unlawful”, Singapore-based ARINC has urged Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and AAI chief M. Ramalingam to review the nod to the Brussels-based SITA (Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques) to supply and operate the CUTE system for a seven-year period.
For good measure, it has also asked the AAI’s chief vigilance officer D.S. Mishra to probe the tendering process.
“We have received a complaint. This is being examined,” Mishra told IANS.
The CUTE system enables airlines to check-in baggage and issue boarding cards from the counters of rival carriers whenever there is a sudden rush of passengers.
02/03/08 Vishnu Makhijani/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Categories: Airports Mar 2008, Foreign Mar 2008