Patel ignites hopes of second airport in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Hyderabadis' hope for a second airport in the city were ignited afresh on Thursday, when Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel sai
d there was a fundamental flaw in the concession agreement the government had signed with the new international airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore .
The agreement had said that no other airport would come up in the radius of 150 km around these airports.
"The government is looking into the existing legal framework to review this, as there is a demand for two airports in many cities," said Patel. He was speaking at the conference on Indian civil aviation organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
He said, the government has identified 34 non-metro (regional) airports in the country for upgradation and development through the public private partnership mode at a cost of $ 357m.
"The government's endeavour is to connect all Indian cities," he said.
According to him, $30-40bn investment is expected into Indian aviation infrastructure in the country over the next 10-15 years.The government was also keen on facilitating better cargo movement at competitive prices in Indian airports, especially for movement of farm produce, on the lines of Singapore and Dubai airports.
17/10/08 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Oct 2008, New Oct 2008