Tag Archives: AAI

Work on new Vellore airport hits roadblock; AAI needs more private land

While 80 per cent of work for the new airport at Abdullapuram along the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway is complete, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) still needs 10.72 acres of private land for the project.

An AAI official on Wednesday told The New Indian Express, “We have made a request to the district administration to acquire that land, which is mandatory for getting license to fly.” The land is required at the end of the runway to prevent overshoot and/or undershoot of aircraft, which affects safety of passengers, the official added.

According to the official, only the acquisition process is pending and infrastructure work such as the runway, taxiway, apron facility, and Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower has been completed. Once the acquisition is successful, the project is expected to be finished seven months from now, the official said.

Collector P Kumaravel Pandian, who inspected the airport on Wednesday, told reporters, “As per the AAI’s request, we are going to recommend the acquisition of the 10.72 acres at a meeting convened by the Secretary of the Industries Department on June 6.” And, he stated, alternative land will be provided to the owners of the 10.72 acres soon.

Apart from this tract of land, the district administration had already acquired 97 acres for the airport. “We directed the AAI to construct a compound wall around the entire stretch of land acquired for the facility,” the Collector said.

A graveyard inside the facility was removed and an alternative area was allotted outside the facility, for which roads were now being laid, Pandian added.

Meanwhile, as per the AAI’s request, electric poles obstructing the facility were removed and works were underway to set them up elsewhere. And, we have told authorities to complete these works before the end of August, he said. (Source: New Indian Express)

AAI works for barrier-free facilities at airports

In continuation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of equipping airports with additional services or people with reduced mobility, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has been endeavouring to accomplish the objective of making airports a barrier-free facility.

And today, one can see ramps, railings, water facilities and other public utilities being brought about at airports’ premises with a special focus on the convenience of such people.

At Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, right from the entry point, passengers with mobility issues are rendered special attention by the airport staff.

And their movement is not just facilitated by the recently developed infrastructure but they are accompanied all along by one or the other department to provide them with a premier-level airport experience at par with others.
C Pattabhi, Airport Director at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, said, “We have installed various special things for impaired persons. Starting from the main entrance, we have provided a ramp so that they can have easy access inside the terminal building. Apart from that, we have tactile strips for easy movement.”

 

People with mobility issues can communicate with the airport staff from the parking space itself at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur.

A help desk has been installed in the space which allows people to contact the department with their needs.

Travellers having disabilities will receive special attention from the airport staff at the ramp developed outside the terminal building so that they can have easy access to the building.

Nandita Bhatt, Airport Director at Maharana Pratap Airport in Udaipur, said they have taken initiative towards an accessible India program where passengers with reduced mobility such as fractures, pregnant women or old-aged people will receive a fresh facility at the airport.

She said, “If you come towards our terminal, we have developed special parking for disabled people where we have put signage for that. We have installed a telephone outside the terminal from where one can call the help desk to access the wheelchair and other facilities needed. In this case, our team will assist the person with the same. With the help of CISF, we help them in security access so that they can reach their plane comfortably.”

Retiring room facilities are also made available for the PRM Passengers if they have connecting flights the next day.

Booking services are made available inside the airport for the services of retiring rooms.

A lift facility for PRM people has also been installed inside the terminal building. Passengers have expressed their contentment at the facilities that they say have played a key role in their enhanced flying experience.

A passenger said, “As soon as I got out of the car, a wheelchair was available due to which I didn’t face any difficulty in reaching inside the terminal.”

The Airport at the tourists’ hub Goa too has been equipped with similar facilities. The authorities say they are committed to further improving the standards and making travellers’ experiences even more memorable.

Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India is drawing up its plan to replicate such facilities at airports across the country which they believe they will be able to achieve in near future

After TN, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand seek revenue share when airports are privatised

Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have come out in support of Tamil Nadu’s (TN) stance that whenever the Central government privatises an airport in a state, the state government should get a share in the revenue.

In a policy note issued earlier this month, Tamil Nadu said that if the state government acquires and transfers land to the Centre-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) free of cost, and if the AAI or the Centre transfers that land to a third party, the value realised or revenue accrued thereby must be proportionately shared with the state government “reflecting the huge investment in land being made by the state government”.

The AAI’s board had in September last year gave the approval to privatise 13 airports, including Trichy in Tamil Nadu and Raipur in Chhattisgarh.

T S Singhdeo, Chhattisgarh’s Minister of Panchayat and Rural Development, Health and Family Welfare and Commercial Tax, said land is a state resource and when the state and the central government come together for developing a project, which is supposed to be an earning project, the state government’s capital is present as a shareholder in terms of the land. “So long as it is in the government sector, things are moving in a particular way, the government of India would be making some revenue and there would be something spilling over to the state government and there would be benefit to the public, so that is fine,” he told PTI.

“Now when you are selling it to a third entity which is a private party, then you are selling the assets of the company, which include apart from the infrastructure, the land also. So, the state government should be given the value of the land,” Singhdeo said.

The sale when it comes about would be by means of a valuation of the entire property which would include the sale price of the land, he noted, adding states should get their share.

“When you are in a joint venture then the investment which has been made, the government of India would put in capital in terms of infrastructure, the state government puts up its capital in terms of its land. So, definitely in every such venture the value of the land should be given to the state government if and when it is sold to a third party which is a private player,” he asserted.

According to the National Monetisation Pipeline issued last year, 25 AAI-run airports have been earmarked for asset monetisation that include Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Raipur, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Surat, Ranchi Jodhpur, Chennai, Vijayawada, Vadodara, Bhopal, Tirupati, Hubli, Imphal, Agartala, Udaipur, Dehradun and Rajahmundry.

Tamil Nadu’s policy note, issued earlier this month, stated that the value of land — at an appropriate stage — should be converted into equity of the state government in the airport’s special purpose vehicle or an appropriate revenue sharing arrangement should be arrived at before the airport is transferred to a private party.

Asked about Tamil Nadu’s demand, Jharkhand Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon told PTI, “I agree (with the Tamil Nadu government). Land belongs to the state.” “When it is under the central government, we have no issues, we give land, water and other resources. But if the Centre is handing it to private parties, revenue should be shared with the state government. A policy should be framed in this regard for all the states, not just Jharkhand,” Oraon added.

While the Ministry of Civil Aviation is yet to officially comment on this matter, its officials told PTI that the decision regarding the matter will be taken at the higher levels of the government. The Centre had in 2019 privatised airports at Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru,

Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati for operation, management and development through public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The Adani group won the bids to run all six airports. (Source: PTI)

 

AAI to construct Greenfield Airport in Hollongi, Arunachal Pradesh

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the work of constructing a Greenfield Airport in Hollongi, 15 kms from Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh considering the importance of air connectivity to the capital city, reports Mint.

With an estimated cost of INR 645 crore, the project includes the development work i.e. construction of airport pavements, air side work, terminal Building and city side works.

The proposed airport is designed for operations of A-320 category of air craft and future extension of Runway by 500m length to cater A-321 type of aircraft.

With an area of 4100 sqm, the terminal building of the airport will be able to handle 200 passengers during peak hours. Equipped with eight check-in counters, the terminal building will have all modern passenger facilities.

Development Work is in full swing and almost 80 per cent of airside works is completed. Progress of Construction of New Interim Terminal building is 30 per cent. The airport is planned for operationalization on 15thAugust 2022.

The terminal will be an energy efficient building provisioned with Rain Water Harvesting system and sustainable landscape. The development work also includes construction of ATC Tower cum Technical Block, Fire station, Medical Centre and other ancillary works.

The building’s envelope is influenced by the surrounding landscapes. Moving away from the strict geometry of straight lines and angles, the roof form is organic and establishes instant connection with the viewer.

The building interior is designed to emanate a sense of calm to the passengers. This is achieved by providing free-flowing spaces, hidden service core and a glass facade that links the eye to the panoramic scenic beauty of the Himalayan Foothills.

PM has laid emphasis on transforming Arunachal Pradesh into a major gateway to SouthEast Asia by developing modern infrastructure across the state. An airport to connect the capital city is a much-needed aspiration of local community which will also accelerate economic activity in the region.

 

AAI partners with Jewar airport for air traffic services in Noida

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will provide air traffic services at the upcoming Noida International Airport at Jewar in Greater Noida, reports Zee News. As per sources, the first phase is expected to be commissioned by 2024.
An agreement to this effect was signed between the AAI and Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) on February 28, AAI said. YIAPL is a special purpose vehicle set up for the development of the greenfield Noida International Airport at Jewar. As an Air Navigation Services Provider, AAI is the only entity statutorily empowered to provide air traffic services in the country.
“AAI is pleased to partner with Noida International Airport and is upbeat about these kinds of challenging projects, which will open new gateways of operating multiple major airports in the vicinity of each other catering to the Metros,” said A K Pathak, Member (Planning) at AAI.
Mumbai and Navi Mumbai are lined up for a similar approach, he said, adding AAI has already signed a pact for CNS-ATM services with Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL) in 2018. Under the pact with the Noida International Airport, AAI will plan, procure, install and commission the CNS/ATM equipment and facilities and provide air traffic services at the upcoming airport, AAI said.
Besides, the facility will also be equipped with Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems and ATS Automation Systems which will enable situational awareness and provide decision support to Air Traffic Controllers for all-weather operations, it stated.
The Noida International Airport (Jewar) is expected to be commissioned by the year 2025 and AAI will be associated with the airport operator in all three phases covered under the CNS-ATM agreement such as the pre-commissioning, commissioning, and the operational phase, as per the statement.
The airspace design and flight procedure design will be undertaken collaboratively under the Air Space Management (ASM) Directorate of AAI with the participation of the New Delhi Air Traffic Control Centre and the airport operator, it added. AAI said it is also expected to deploy its ATC and ATSEP (Air Traffic Services Engineering Professionals) workforce to meet service standards.

 

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Govt to monetise 25 airports over four years, to fetch INR 20,782 crore

The government will sell its shareholding in four privately-run airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru) and is tentatively valuing its stake at INR 10,000 crore.

The stake sale in these four airports, along with monetisation of 25 other Airports Authority of India (AAI)-run airports, including those in Chennai and Kozhikode, is a part of the national asset monetisation pipeline announced by Finance Mini­ster Nirmala Sitharaman on August 23.

The monetisation value of 25 AAI airports is pegged at INR 10,782 crore, based on estimated capital expenditure at the airports. The monetisation will be completed over the next four years.

The government holds 26 per cent stake each in Mumbai and Delhi airports and 13 per cent stake in Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports.

A market approach has been adopted for determining indicative valuation of AAI stake in the four JV airports and based on recent market transactions the indicative value of the stakes is taken at INR 10,000 crore, according to the policy document released by NITI Aayog.

“The valuation of AAI stake in JV airports is only an indicative high level and the actual price discovery will be made from the market transaction. The actual realisation will depend on multiple factors such as transaction timing, market conditions, investor appetite, and transaction terms, it said.

The list of 25 airports also includes Nagpur which is already under a privatisation exercise since 2018. Last week, the Bombay High Court quashed an order cancelling an award letter issued to GMR group for development of Nagpur airport.

“We welcome the airport monetisation announcement as it will bring in more private sector participation and significantly improve the service delivery. We must simultaneously and soon have a new realistic business model for AAI,” said Kapil Kaul, South Asia CEO of aviation consultancy CAPA. (Source The BS)