India’s new aviation policy sees merchant airports
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Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told a conference yesterday that the new policy would go beyond the concept of mere privatisation of existing airports. It will allow merchant airports, which will be greenfield projects, so that the present growth rate in the aviation sector can be sustained for several years.
Patel, who is widely credited with ushering in vital changes in the aviation scene, said India needed 500 airports, but will only have 100 by 2008, up from the present 80.
He revealed several private airports, such as at Jamshedpur, Hampi, and the spiritual town of Puttaparthi, had been given licences to allow flights to operate.
Patel said the aviation boom will not just be confined to New Delhi and Mumbai but also secondary cities.
The conference also heard the first Aerotropolis project coming up in the Asansol-Durgapur area in east India. While many speakers welcomed the idea, others cited caution on the subject, as it involved acquiring large chunks of land.
Aerotropolis projects bring together aviation-intensive businesses built around airports.
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