AAI seeks funds to develop airports

New Delhi: Ahead of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee presenting the annual budget later this month, India's airport operator the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is desperately seeking more funds from the government to develop airports to keep pace with the robust growth that is expected to take place in the sector.
A top AAI official said it needs to keep pace with the expansions which will be taking place in the next few years as airlines have announced major fleet expansion plans.
"Domestic airlines have announced major fleet expansion plans. We have to have airports to support double the fleet of what we have now in our country. The air traffic will almost double in the next few years. We have to upgrade our newly constructed airports as well as the older ones to keep pace with the demand, which will remain strong given the growth of our economy," said the AAI official who did not wish to be named.
"Ageing airports would be harmful for the aviation industry. It's not just about inducting new aircraft to meet the growing air traffic demand. It's about runway capacity and airport capacity," he added.
02/02/11 Sanjay Singh/India Today

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Categories: Airports Feb 2011