Bhubaneswar: Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in Bhubaneswar is among the five airports identified by the Civil Aviation Ministry, which will be paired with six smaller airports and leased to private companies for operation.
According to sources, BPIA, one of the profit-making airports among the 11, will be operated by the same entity as Hubballi airport (Karnataka), replacing an earlier pairing with Trichy. The deal is expected to be finalised by July or August.
In February, the Ministry had restarted the process of privatising airports, aiming to increase revenue through asset monetisation, and circulated a note for inter-ministerial consultations on leasing Airports Authority of India-run airports to the private sector in the current year.
These airports account for 10% of India’s domestic and 4% of international passenger traffic.
In August 2024, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol had said that BPAI is among the airports earmarked for leasing out in between 2022 and 2025. He was replying to a query by Rajya Sabha member Niranjan Bishi, who expressed concerns about privatising a successful 62-year-old operation. Mohol had then explained that leasing airports enhances management and leverages private sector efficiency, ultimately benefiting states and passengers through improved infrastructure under public-private partnerships (PPP).
As of the latest data, India currently has 11 privately operated airports. These include major airports in cities such as Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Mumbai, which are either privately operated or run as joint ventures.
