Adani-AAI Pact to Develop Three Airports

The Adani Group has recently signed a concession agreement with the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the development, operation, and management of three airports.

Key Points

• The 3 airports for which the agreement has been signed are Guwahati, Jaipur, and Thiruvananthapuram.
• Adani Group has won the bids for these airports almost two years ago.
• As per the concession agreement, the Gautam Adani-led Adani Group will have to take over the airports within 6 months.
• The group will now develop, manage, and operate the airports for the next 50 years.

Background

• Adani Enterprises had won the bid for AAI-operated airports in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, and Lucknow. These airports were put up for privatization under the PPP (public-private partnership) model.
• However, the Kerala government has moved to the Supreme Court against the handover of the Thiruvananthapuram airport to the Adani group. The Supreme Court is yet to hear the matter and the state government plea was rejected by the Kerala High Court.
• Adani Group has already started operating three airports at Mangaluru, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad.

ACI accreditation

The three Adani group airports at Mangaluru, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad have received accreditation by the Airports Council International (ACI) under the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) programme.