The government plans to privatize 30 to 35 airports over the next five years

India is set to privatize more airports as part of its efforts to boost infrastructure development throughout the country. The government plans to privatize 30 to 35 airports over the next five years.

The Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the plan to offer additional airports to private firms for operations will be placed before the Union cabinet. At a webinar organized by CII on Tuesday, Puri said there are dozens of airports lined up. “And the 100 more airports that we will build between now and 2030, I think, will all augur well for the economy,” Livemint quotes him saying. “Everybody should put their heads together to ensure we do this in the correct, cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed the civil aviation ministry, in May, to accelerate plans to privatize six more airports in the second round of auction. As such, the Airports Authority of India had chosen Varanasi, Bhubaneshwar, Amritsar, Indore, Raipur and Trichy airports.

The state-run airport operator runs most of the airports in the country. It also has stakes in privately-run airports such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Officials said privatization is to make airports more efficient and boost revenues for the exchequer, said the report.

In regards to air travel amid COVID-19 pandemic, Puri said both domestic civil aviation and international civil aviation would be revived very soon through bilateral air bubbles.