Kolkata: The Airports Authority of India ( AAI) has finally initiated the process to rope in foreign companies for operating and maintening Kolkata and Chennai airports, in line with the recommendations of a Planning Commission task force.
“Whether we like it or not, the reality is that there is demand for very high level of passenger satisfaction. I am sure with our staff, we have reached a good level in this regard. But we are also open to the idea of roping in private players for maintenance and operation,” V P Agrawal, chairman of AAI, told Business Standard.
According to Agrawal, foreign operators such as Changi Airport Group (Singapore) and Flughafen Zurich AG, which runs the Zurich airport, have already shown interest for a tie-up with AAI for providing the services. “Things are at a very primary level. We have to work out the modalities for such arrangements. If it materialises, we will take the tender route for tie-ups.”
However, the AAI chief added: “The PPP (public-private partnership model is a kind of policy AAI is working on, which can be implemented starting with Kolkata and Chennai airports.”
20/01/13 Probal Basak/Business Standard
