The AAI chairman V.P. Agarwal said that the Chennai airport is likely to be leased out to private companies. The Civil Aviation Ministry, as part of the proposed privatization efforts, has instructed AAI to lease out Kolkata and Chennai airports to private companies.
K.C. Venugopal, Union minister of state for civil aviation, who inspected the new terminals said that the Chennai airport was a model for everyone. Certain problems include the recent false roof which collapsed and bad maintenance. These problems are expected to be resolved soon. On the other hand, AAI has decided to share a part of the cost which is required to acquire 15.66 acre of land to install the lighting system.
This will enable the use of whole 9,000 feet secondary runway length on the Adyar river. It is also a disappointment for passengers from Chennai, as many have to spend money as user development fee. This will happen if the airport is leased to private companies. In recent times, the civil aviation minister Ajith Singh informed the Parliament that a task force had recommended that the management of Kolkata and Chennai Airports could be taken up through private, as well as public partnerships.
