The Hindu Business Line : ‘Navi Mumbai airport bidding to be completed in 2008’

New Delhi, Oct. 16 The bidding process for the Navi Mumbai airport is likely to be completed during 2008, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, said on Tuesday.

Speaking to newspersons the Minister said that the Maharashtra Government-run company CIDCO, which is developing the airport, is to shortly appoint a technical consultant for the project.

The project has already been given in-principle approval by the Union Cabinet.

Asked about the proposed Initial Public Offering of the newly created state-owned National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL), Mr Patel said that the Government would review the merger of Air India and Indian after six months and then take a call on when the IPO should be floated.

NACIL is the new entity into which Air India and Indian were amalgamated recently. The Minister felt that it would be incorrect to speculate on what percentage of equity was likely to be offloaded.

Regional airlines

Acknowledging that several companies had filed applications with the Government for setting up regional airlines, the Minister said that the Ministry would consider several criteria, including the business plan and financial viability of the project, before giving the go-ahead.

The Minister also indicated that a decision on which global airline alliance Air India would join was expected by the end of the year.

Air India is likely to join the Star Alliance and a formal announcement on the entry is expected towards the middle of December after an alliance meeting in Beijing.

More Stories on : Modernisation | Airlines

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
‘Navi Mumbai airport bidding to be completed in 2008’

HMSHost wins GMR F&B contract

A-I Express inducts 10th owned aircraft

Pratt & Whitney to grow biz in India

HC orders detention of Indonesian vessel

Rice ships stranded at Kakinada

Bharati, Apeejay tie up to build shipyard

Vallarpadam project: Plea to speed up land acquisition

Indo-Mauritius working group set up

‘Domestic container market poised to grow’

NBHC investing Rs 5,000 cr to set up 200 warehouses

Concor tariff on tea irks Irugur ICD users

Investors accept Rlys’ cap of 14% returns, 30-year ownership