Global bidding to select O&M partners for airports: Jayant Sinha

He was responding to a question on whether the government is considering international bidding process for choosing entities to operate and maintain some of the domestic airports.

New Delhi, Nov 29 Airports Authority of India (AAI) will come out with a global competitive bidding process for selecting partners to carry out operation and maintenance works at some airports, the government said today.

"AAI has decided for selection of O&M (Operation & Maintenance) partners through a global competitive bidding after obtaining approval of the competent authority," Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha told the Rajya Sabha. The transaction documents for O&M process are in place, he added.

He was responding to a question on whether the government is considering international bidding process for choosing entities to operate and maintain some of the domestic airports.

To a query, Sinha said the proposed partnership with Singapore's Changi Airports International for O&M contracts for Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports "could not materialise as the fee demanded by them was not found financially viable to AAI".

The national airports' operator has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise for cooperation in various areas of the civil aviation sector. One of the areas of cooperation under the MoU includes implementation of O&M at Indian airports.

"In terms of the MoU, the Singapore government nominated Changi Airports International as an O&M contract partner for the Ahmedabad and Jaipur airport projects," the Minister said. However, the partnership could not materialise due to financial viability issues.

PTI