Calcutta airport's "modern, integrated terminal" is stuck in the stone age of retail after waiting more than two years just to invite bids from brands and duty-free stores befitting an international facility.
Sources said the process of expanding the retail zone had been stretched by uncertainty over whether the airport would be privatised, coupled with a technical mistake in setting the specifications for the tender document.
The delay has not only denied travellers the choice of retail and duty-free outlets that terminals across the world provide but also robbed the state-run airport of revenue. "For airports, airlines and passengers aren't the only sources of revenue. Retail is a big earner," said a senior official of Mumbai airport.
The integrated terminal was inaugurated in January 2013 but it wasn't until this February that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) gave the formal go-ahead to invite bids for retail and duty-free stores. The tenders were floated a few days ago.
Sources said red tape had cost the state-run airport nearly Rs 100 crore in potential revenue over the past two years. "The existing retail stores occupy 350sq m of space within the terminal, contributing Rs 4.5 crore annually to the airport's earnings. The tender is for another 1,050sq m, from which the projected revenue is Rs 12 crore annually," an official said.
06/04/15 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph
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Sources said the process of expanding the retail zone had been stretched by uncertainty over whether the airport would be privatised, coupled with a technical mistake in setting the specifications for the tender document.
The delay has not only denied travellers the choice of retail and duty-free outlets that terminals across the world provide but also robbed the state-run airport of revenue. "For airports, airlines and passengers aren't the only sources of revenue. Retail is a big earner," said a senior official of Mumbai airport.
The integrated terminal was inaugurated in January 2013 but it wasn't until this February that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) gave the formal go-ahead to invite bids for retail and duty-free stores. The tenders were floated a few days ago.
Sources said red tape had cost the state-run airport nearly Rs 100 crore in potential revenue over the past two years. "The existing retail stores occupy 350sq m of space within the terminal, contributing Rs 4.5 crore annually to the airport's earnings. The tender is for another 1,050sq m, from which the projected revenue is Rs 12 crore annually," an official said.
06/04/15 Sanjay Mandal/The Telegraph
