Supreme Court seeks reply on AAI plea against HC ground-handling order

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response on the Airport Authority of India’s (AAI) appeal against the Delhi High Court’s decision to quash its tender for engaging agencies to provide ground handling services (GHS) at Group D-1 airports comprising 49 regional and budget airports catering to domestic, regional and non-scheduled flights involving smaller aviation aircrafts.

While quashing the tender floated by AAI, the HC asked the PSU to come up with a fresh tender on the grounds that the proposal “subverts” the Atmanirbhar Bharat policy and stifles all attempts of smaller entrepreneurs to dream bigger. It termed the tender conditions mandating previous work experience in providing GHS and an annual turnover of Rs 18 crore “as discriminatory and arbitrary”.