The attractive tender with added features floated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in November for partial privatisation of Ahmedabad airport got participation from Mumbai airport operator GVK. While the AAI received three bids for Ahmedabad, they received four bids for Jaipur airport.
The bidding process that began last year, after AAI had rejected Singapore's Changi airport's proposal to operate and maintain both airports, was extended number of times, on various grounds. During then, there was some interest from international players as well. However, based on certain interactions with potential bidders, the AAI had made changes to the tender by adding more conditions and features to the existing tender.
Confirming the same, Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, AAI, said, "We have three interested parties for Ahmedabad and four for Jaipur airport. Of the three for Ahmedabad, MIAL-GVK has expressed interest in both airports, whereas other two are not very well known. Currently, the technical evaluation is being conducted to see their validity as the standards are very stringent. Once the evaluation is over, we will open the price bid."
Sources said, "GVK is likely to win the bid as they are already in the business and would meet all the criteria."
Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL), a joint venture between the GVK led consortium (74 per cent) and Airports Authority of India (26 per cent) and was awarded the mandate of modernizing and upgrading Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) in February 2006.
Experts also feel that if the agreement works, then passengers will have to shell out more money in form of terminal usage fees.
The AAI had invited Request for Proposal (RFP) from bidders for operation and maintenance of 'select areas' of the Jaipur and Ahmedabad airports late last year. The select areas include passenger terminal building, including the airport operations control centre, fire control room, kerb side approach road and passenger boarding bridges, apron area, including provision of ground handling services through approved ground handling.
MAJOR CHANGES
- New flight information display system
- Self-check-in counters
- Additional gates
- Doubling up the seating capacity
- 2 new aero-bridge in the international terminal
- Kiosk outside the terminal
