TLI Staff
New Delhi: With more airports being readied for privatization, state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) could eventually remain just a landlord from being the country’s largest operator. The impending possibility poses job risks to thousands of employees as they would be left redundant in the wake of more airports slipping away from AAI’s control and management.
A top bureaucrat wishing not to be named said that the most affected would be the young lot with more years of service left.
“They would have option to join the private entities taking over the airports or resign. Given their expertise and job scenario they would most likely join private companies on poor service conditions. For youngsters it is not a good sign,” he said.
For the last two years, the Centre has been claiming over AAI’s entire profits as dividend forcing it to borrow from markets for expansion works. Once more profit-making airports are privatized, the government may just reduce AAI’s status to revenue manager with a small work force.
“If the Modi government can force RBI to transfer its surplus, will AAI being a public entity be able to resist?” the official pointed out.
A former AAI official said that the government may in future sign agreement for transferring its major chunk of revenue to its kitty. For managing loss-making airport, certain grants could be provided on the basis of requirement.
“AAI may get grants for developing only smaller airports. That’s how things may go,” he said.
The largest operator managing 129 airports, AAI has about 17,500 staff on its rolls. It provides air navigation services over 2.8 million square nautical miles of air space and one of the well-run public sector companies.
Going on privatization overdrive, the Modi government in its previous term bid out six profit-making airports. Gujarat-based Adani Enterprises emerged as the winning bidder for all the six airports. While the government has handed out three of these airports — Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru to Adani, the other three would also be given in due course.
Trivandrum, Guwahati and Jaipur are the remaining airports.
In the meantime, few more airports have been identified for privatization in the next round despite vehement opposition from AAI staff. Given the weak opposition, the government is unlikely to face any hurdle in privatizing more airports.
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