Expressing its stiff opposition to the Centre’s move to privatise profit making Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports, the Airports Authority Employees Union (AAEU) has said that the move would only satisfy the corporate sector and affect passengers eventually.
The AAI is a profit-making organisation endowed with all capabilities, highly skilled technical force and equipped with infrastructure facilities to build, operate, and maintain airports, AAEU all-India president S.R. Santhanam told presspersons here on Friday.
The AAI, which had gained the status of “Mini Ratna”, had shown Rs. 800 crore profit and paid dividends amounting to Rs. 140 crore to government every year which only displayed its strength, he said and added that there was no deficiency on its part in operating and maintaining the airports.
Private players would go to a place where it did not fetch them huge profits, Mr. Santhanam said urging the Centre to allow the AAI to grow in the interest of its vast workforce, customer satisfaction, and for the growth of States besides promoting smaller airports.
There was no justification on the part of the Centre in handing over profit-making airports to private players after the AAI having spent over Rs. 5,500 crore on augmenting infrastructure and creating additional facilities for the benefit of the passengers, he said. Many AAI airports throughout India including Chennai, Tiruchi, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, Jaipur, Goa, and Pune had shown profits displaying the capabilities of the Airports Authority of India.
Seeking a level-playing field from the Centre in the competitive aviation sector, he said it should allow the AAI to grow and delegate powers to it.
Mr. Santhanam inaugurated the AAEU office building at the Tiruchi international airport in the presence of the airport employees.
