New Delhi: Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill which seeks to encourage smaller airports to expand air connectivity to relatively remote and far-flung areas. The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed without a debate amid din created by opposition members over the Pegasus spying row and farmers' issue.
Moving the bill for passage and consideration, Civil Aviation Minster Jyotiraditya Scindia said the government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to provide aviation services to all the people.
Under the Udaan scheme, the minister said, the government has started air services from several smaller cities such as Darbhanga, Belgaum in Kartnataka, Jharsuguda in Odisha, Jagdalpur, and Hubli. 'The government thinks that new airports should be built. There are 128 airports ... our thinking is that in the coming days, India should play a leadership role for the world in the sector,' he said.
According to the bill, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India Act, 2008 provides for the establishment of an Airports Economic Regulatory Authority to regulate tariff and other charges for the aeronautical services rendered at airports and to monitor performance standards of airports.
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Being an independent regulator for protection of the interests of airports, airlines and passengers, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India has, since its inception, been determining the tariffs of aeronautical charges at major airports in the country.
Under the Act, 'major airport' has been defined to mean any airport which has, or is designated to have, annual passenger throughput in excess of three-and-a-half million. However, it does not provide for determination of tariff for a group of airports.
The airports where currently the traffic potential is low and loss making are not expected to attract reasonable competitive bids. Developing more number of airports through public-private partnership mode would expand air connectivity to relatively remote and far-flung areas.
This approach would develop not only the high traffic volume profitable airports but also the low traffic volume non-profitable airports. Therefore, the government has decided to club or pair airports having profitable and non-profitable airports which could be offered in public-private partnership mode as a package to the prospective bidders, according to the bill.
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(PTI)
