More airports to be run PPP way; tax break for aircraft leasing firms in GIFT city
NEW DELHI: Flying in and out of Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Indore, Amritsar and Trichy along with a number of small airports currently run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) could soon be a better experience for passengers. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Monday’s Budget said more airports “will be monetised for operations and management concession,” including those in smaller cities — meaning they will be run PPP way. The FM has also proposed aircraft leasing companies setting up bases in Ahmedabad’s GIFT City will get a tax holiday on capital gains and tax exemption for aircraft lease rentals paid to foreign lessors.
A senior AAI official said the next lot of airports to be given for PPP operations are Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur, Indore, Amritsar and Trichy. “They will be given to PPP players by clubbing with smaller airports. Which means a corporate entity taking over one of these six airports will need to take small airport/s too. The (names and numbers of) smaller airports has not been finalised yet,” the official said. The government has in last two years completed the process of giving Jaipur, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru, Lucknow and Ahmedabad to infra major Adani group.
The FM said the divestment of Air India and Pawan Hans Helicopters will be completed in the next fiscal. Air India Asset Holding Limited (AIAHL), to which AI debt has been transferred, has been allocated Rs 2,269 crore in FY 21-22 and the regional connectivity scheme has got Rs 600 crore.
