Plans afoot to modernise non-metro airports

Moving ahead with modernisation of non-metro airports, government would, in the next two months, come out with proposals for development of non-aero side of 10 such airports across the country, a top official said on Friday.

While the air side would be modernised totally by the Airports Authority of India, the non-aero side of these airports would be developed through private participation, creating shopping malls, food joints and other facilities.

"We will come up with proposals on 10 non-metro airports in the next 45 to 60 days on which the parties can respond", Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla said at the Confederation of Indian Industry's India Aviation Forum.

The Infrastructure Committee of the Planning Commission was working on a model concession agreement for development of airports through the public-private partnership model,

he said.

Replying to questions, Chawla said the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority Bill to deal with airport tariffs and other disputes, would be introduced in the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.

Regarding the proposal to impose three per cent import duty on aircraft, the secretary said the total taxes on aircraft import would now amount to about 25 per cent as the other taxes were three per cent education cess, three per cent special duty and 16 per cent countervailing duty.

The proposal of imposing the import duty 'took the industry as well as us in the ministry by surprise', he said.

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