‘Airport privatization’, up in the air

Aurangabad, May 16:

The ministry of civil aviation has taken a decision in September 2021 to privatize 13 Airports in the country. Under this decision, 13 airports will be privatized including six big and seven small airports including Chikalthana Airport. The small airports will be privatized collectively with each of the big airports. The big airports included Amritsar, Bhuvaneshwar, Indoor, Raipur, Trichi and Varanasi. The small airports included Hubli, Tirupati, Aurangabad, Jabalpur, Kangra, Kushinagar and Gaya. Chikalthana Airport will be privatized along with the Raipur Airport.

The city air passengers had been demanding for air services from the city to various destinations in the country. After the establishment of the Shirdi and Nanded Airports the number of air passengers have been impacted. Hence, the new air services have been hamperred.

Now, the government has taken the decision to privatize Chikalthana Airport, which can provide more facilities to the passengers. On the other hand, the passengers will have to spend more to avail these facilities, it is feared. Moreover, stress will be laid to start commercial activities at the airport to earn money instead of taking efforts for starting new airlines, the experts opined.

Union minister of state for finance Dr Bhagwat Karad said, efforts are being taken for the Chikalthana Airport expansion, immigration and connecting more than 20 destinations to the city. A meeting was held with the civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Sciendia last week and the next meeting is scheduled on Tuesday. He is not aware of the issue of privatization, Dr Karad said.

MP Imtiyaaz Jaleel said, if the airport is privatized, the passengers will have to spend more. The present system at the airport is efficient and hence a demand will be raised to oppose the privatization, he said.