Adani Group signed the takeover agreement for three airports, including Lucknow, in February.
New Delhi:
Citing the coronavirus pandemic, the Adani group asked the Airport Authority of India at least six months to take over the airports of Lucknow, Mangalore and Ahmedabad. The India Airport Authority had tendered six of its airports in 2019 and the Adani Group became the highest bidder for the six – the airports of Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur and Guwahati.
While the Union Cabinet has not yet approved the offers from Jaipur, Trivandrum and Guwahati, the Adani group signed the takeover agreement for the operation, development and maintenance of the three remaining airports in February 2020 .
In November of last year, the government approved a proposal to manage six airports managed by AAI on the basis of a public-private partnership. The move, IAA said, is part of an initiative to provide world-class infrastructure and services to stakeholders.
The aviation industry has been one of the hardest hit by the global foreclosure to slow down the highly infectious coronavirus. Since the foreclosure began in India in March, most airlines – their failed flights – have cut wages and laid off workers to stay afloat.
After the 60-day closure, the government began domestic air travel last month. Most airports are grappling with the many security aspects of ensuring that the infection does not spread.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said international air travel will also resume “after several factors have been addressed”.
