![6-10 airport privatization to start from April 6-10 airport privatization to start from April](https://varindia.com/storage/news/uploads/2018/02/601d248cec645.jpg)
Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will begin the third stage of the airport privatization process for 6-10 airports in April.
Kharola said that the government will use a new approach for privatizing airports, clubbing a profitable airport with a loss-making airport for the sale process. “AAI is examining the feasibility of giving a non-profitable airport and a profit-making airport as a package. We could see six to 10 airports being taken up," he said.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her budget speech that the government will privatize airports operated by AAI from tier II and III cities during 2021-22. AAI is raising ₹2,100 crore from banks for its capital expenditure requirements in 2021-22, its acting chairman Anuj Agarwal said. AAI has already approved Adani Group’s proposal to take over the Mumbai airport, Agarwal said.
The divestment process of Air India is also on track. The tax incentives for aircraft lessors to set up shop at Gujarat’s Gift city will help Indian airlines to save foreign exchange costs while leasing aircraft, Kharola said.
According to Kharola, the price cap on non-domestic flight tickets will not be a permanent feature, adding that once the number of flyers increase to pre-covid levels, it will be done away with. When domestic flights restarted on 25 May after two months, the government had introduced fare bands to make it affordable for flyers. The fare band is in place till 31st March.
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