Airport privatisation is not something that you may not have heard of before. For the last couple of weeks, it has been the talk of the country and now the Civil Aviation Ministry has identified the airports that will be privatised in the second phase of this privatisation. As such, 25 airports, including both major and smaller airports alike, have been released. Yes, 25 airports are to be privatised across the country and this will also include Kolkata’s Subash Chandra Bose International Airport. Here’s everything you need to know about this development.
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25 Airports To Be Privatised Across The Country
The central government has decided to privatise some airports and the process to finalise terms and conditions for bidding is already underway. The list of second phase of airport privatisation includes both major and smaller ones. With this, the ministry expects to receive an upfront payment of ₹10,000 crores. As it happens, a big airport could be clubbed with a smaller one and then floated for bidding to be sold as a single unit. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Civil Aviation Minister, according to Times Now News, said that the government plans to lease out these assets for a period to gain cash flow, which can be used for building airports in Tier 2 and 3 cities.
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Kolkata’s Subash Chandra Bose International Airport To Be Privatised
Some of the major airports to be privatised include those in Kolkata, Chennai, and Varanasi. While smaller airports like Indore, Jabalpur, and Kushinagar are also part of the list! Yes, Kolkata’s Subash Chandra Bose International Airport, spread across an area of 1641 acres is also going to be privatised. As it happens, it is the largest air travel hub in East India and is the fifth busiest airport in the country. In fact, it is also one of the two international airports in West Bengal and will be leased out for 50 years!
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First Phase Of Airport Privatisation In 2019
This development has come up after the first phase of airport privatisation that took place in 2019. When this happened three years ago, six airports were privatised, which included Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram. Adani Group by the industrialist Gautam Adani, had won bids for all six airports. Thereafter, the group also took over the Mumbai International Airport from GVK.
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