The Hindu Business Line : `Airports' revamp work to begin mid next year'

THE Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, on Wednesday said that work on the restructuring and modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports would begin by the middle of next year.

Addressing the Consultative Committee meeting of the Ministry of Civil Aviation here, Mr Patel said that the technical bids from the nine short-listed joint venture companies would be invited by mid-January and the process completed by March.

In all, about Rs 20,000 crore would be needed for the modernisation and restructuring of the two airports, he said.

Turning his attention to the steps which the Government was taking to strengthen the two State-owned airlines, Mr Patel said that the existing fleet of the two carriers were being augmented and pilots were being trained to take command of these aircraft.

However, as a short-term measure, the Ministry of Defence had been approached to provide air force pilots on deputation, till such time as the pilots were trained to take command.

The Minister noted that the soon-to-be-launched Air India Express would have a fleet strength of 18 aircraft, of which six would be inducted in the first year alone and would mainly cater to West Asia. Besides, the Ministry was also working towards connecting North India, specifically Amritsar, in a similar manner with West Asia.

The Committee was also informed that Amritsar would be connected directly to the UK and Canada by 2005.

The Minister said that India would be signing an air services bilateral with the US in January next year and Air India would start services to Houston, Washington and San Francisco.

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