Four big global airport operators have shown interest in running the terminal building of Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports which might face stiff competition from several Indian players, including Adani and Tata groups, who also have thrown in their hats for the public-private partnership project.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which operates Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, had floated a global request for proposal to hand over the operation and maintenance of its terminal building to private players.
Till March 20, 11 private players, including four global companies, registered for the bid for operating and maintaining Ahmedabad airport and seven private companies, with two global players, registered to bid for Jaipur airport.
Daa International that operates Ireland’s state owned airports and Vinci Airports Singapore with presence across 34 airports globally have shown interest in both Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports. Additionally, Swiss company Zurich Airport International and French firm Egis Airport Operation that operates 14 airports across the globe have also registered to bid for managing the Ahmedabad airport terminal building.
Among domestic players, existing airport operators GMR Airports, GVK Airports Services and Bengal Aerotropolis are in the fray for both the airports. Adani group, which is keen on investing in the airport sector, may begin its journey from its home state Gujarat and has registered to bid for the Ahmedabad airport. Tata Realty and Infrastructure, which had pulled out of the recently concluded Navi Mumbai bid, is also in the race for running the terminal building of Ahmedabad airport along with ground handling company GlobeGround India.
Mall developer Select Infrastructure Private Limited, which operates the Select Citywalk mall in Delhi, may also bid for the Ahmedabad airport.
However, Singapore’s Changi Airports International has not shown interest in modernising Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports. This is significant as a memorandum of understanding was signed between India and Singapore to modernise Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports in November 2015, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore. Following the MoU, AAI held discussions with Singapore’s Changi Airports International to finalise the terms of the contract. However, AAI had rejected Changi airport’s offer as it didn’t agree to certain commercial terms of the proposal.
In January 2015, AAI had invited applications for handing over the operations, management and development of Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports to private players through the public-private partnership model. The move drew flak from 2000-odd employees working at these airports, as they were opposed to the privatisation. Facing human resource issues, the Union government dropped the plan later in 2015 and decided to only hand over the airport terminal management to private players at Jaipur and Ahmedabad.
AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra had said in a press conference in January that the winning bidder will be given a free hand in replacing the existing staff at the two airports.
