Parliament Question: Privatization of airports and impact on AAI

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 979 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9th February 2026 PRIVATIZATION OF AIRPORTS AND IMPACT ON AAI 979. SHRI A. D. SINGH Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the number of airports privatized so far and those proposed for privatization in near future; (b) the impact of such privatization on the financial position and staff strength of the Airports Authority of India (AAI); and (c) the steps taken to ensure transparency and public accountability in the privatization process? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a): Eight airports namely, Delhi, Mumbai, Mangaluru, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram of Airports Authority of India (AAI) have been given on long term lease for operation, management and development to Concessionaires, under Public Private Partnership (PPP). Further, Eleven Airports consisting of Select five (5) airports viz. Amritsar, Varanasi, Bhubaneswar, Raipur and Trichy, clubbed/paired with Six (6) smaller airports have been identified for next round of PPP. (b): Revenue share/Concession Fee paid by the concessionaire of above eight airports has significantly contributed to the revenues of AAI resulting into its financial stability. On implementation of PPP at AAI airports, employees of AAI have choice to either remain with AAI or opt to join PPP partner as their employee. (c): Selection of the PPP partner is done through a transparent open competitive bidding process through online portal. ******