The Hindu Business Line : Delay in appointing global technical advisor — Modernisation of Delhi, Mumbai airports may be pushed back

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Delay in appointing global technical advisor — Modernisation of Delhi, Mumbai airports may be pushed back

Our Bureau

New Delhi , May 9

THE delay in the appointment of a Global Technical Advisor (GTA) to provide technical advisory services to the Government on restructuring and modernisation of the airports in Delhi and Mumbai is likely to see the projects getting pushed back.

Official sources though, while admitting that there has been a slight delay in the appointment of the GTA, felt that this would not have any major impact on the completion of the project at Delhi and Mumbai airports.

"A delay of a month or so should not be considered huge in a project of this magnitude. What is of greater importance is that the project is moving and we will have world-class airports," official sources said. The work profile of GTA includes assisting and advising the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the financial consultants, among others, in a host of activities including undertaking a review of the assessment of the capacity of the two airports and identifying the limiting factors and the resultant impact on capacity apart from coming up with options to extend the life of each airport.

In addition, the GTA's work will also include a review of current airport management systems at the two airports.

This entails working out an approach to managing airport operations, management information systems, the setting of benchmarks for service and performance standards and the identification of areas along with recommendations where practices can be improved to meet world-class standards. Meanwhile, there are fears that the delay in the modernisation process taking off could mean that several projects, which were to be taken up earlier to upgrade the airport, may have to be held back.

Sources indicated that among the projects, which could suffer, was a proposal to have a link between the international and domestic airport at Delhi from within the existing airport boundary itself.

The Union Cabinet had, in September last year, approved a proposal for restructuring and modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports through the joint venture route with the private sector partner holding a majority stake.

It had set a tentative timeframe of eight months from the date of approval to finalise the selection of bidders.