8 months ago
Govt to Lease 11 More Airports
The Indian government is planning to lease 11 more airports to private companies.
These airports include big ones like Amritsar and Varanasi, and smaller ones like Kushinagar and Gaya.
The plan is part of a bigger program called the National Monetisation Pipeline, which aims to get more money by leasing infrastructure.
The government has already leased 14 airports to private companies, and six of them are managed by Adani Enterprises.
The proposal is being reviewed by a special committee before final approval.
The government hopes this will help improve airport management and bring in more money for development.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has approved the leasing of 11 airports under a public-private partnership (PPP) framework.
The proposal has been forwarded to the Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) for detailed scrutiny.
The airports to be leased include Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, and Tiruchirappalli, paired with smaller airports like Kushinagar and Gaya.
Currently, 14 airports in India operate under PPP arrangements, with six managed by Adani Enterprises.
The PPP model for airport management began in 2006 and has been gradually extended to other airports.
- Who
- Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC), Adani Enterprises
- What
- Leasing of 11 airports under PPP model
- Where
- India (airports including Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Tiruchirappalli)
- When
- Proposal reviewed and approved by MoCA; final parameters may be announced during the upcoming Union Budget
- Why
- To mobilise additional resources through structured asset-leasing mechanisms as part of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP)
Key facts
- Airports to be leased
- 11 (including Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Tiruchirappalli)
- Smaller paired airports
- Kushinagar, Gaya, Hubballi, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Jabalpur, Tirupati
- Current PPP airports
- 14 (including Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram)
- PPP model start
- 2006 (Delhi and Mumbai airports)
- NMP-II airports
- 25 (AAI-operated airports proposed for leasing)
- Adani Enterprises airports
- 6 (Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram)
- PPPAC role
- Evaluate leasing proposal on financial, legal, and technical parameters
Quotes
A source tracking the matter
A source familiar with the proposal to lease 11 airports.
“Some of the smaller paired airports include Kushinagar, Gaya, Hubballi, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Jabalpur and Tirupati, the source said, although an officially complete list of all six has not been disclosed.”
thehindubusinessline.com
“A formula is now being worked out under which a major airport is paired with a minor one, after which the combined entity is offered to prospective lessees through a bidding process.”
thehindubusinessline.com
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance Minister of India.
“The second phase aims to mobilise additional resources through structured asset-leasing mechanisms across key infrastructure sectors.”
thehindubusinessline.com
“Regulatory and fiscal measures will be refined to support its implementation in the coming years.”
thehindubusinessline.com
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol
Minister of State for Civil Aviation.
“The five large airports — Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Tiruchirappalli — have been clubbed with six smaller airports for leasing under the PPP model.”
thehindubusinessline.com

