THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Airports Authority of India on Tuesday signed a concession agreement with Adani Group for three airports including Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The agreement was signed even as a petition filed by the state government against the Centre’s decision to lease the airport to Adani Enterprises, coming up for hearing at the Supreme Court on Friday.
More details about the agreement are yet to come out. With the agreement signed, the company would take over the airport within six months. After the takeover, it would be operated jointly by AAI and Adani Enterprises Ltd in the first year. By the next one year, the employees’ service conditions should be finalised. On Tuesday, the Airport Authority of India Employees Union staged a protest against the signing of the agreement in front of the Thiruvananthapuram airport director’s office.
The authority tweeted on Tuesday that AAI signed three concession agreements with Adani Airports Ltd for operations, management and development of Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports through PPP mode. The agreements were signed in the presence of the AAI chairman and senior officials of AAI and Adani Enterprises Ltd.
The Adani Group announced, “We are pleased to inform you that Adani Jaipur International Airport Ltd, Adani Guwahati International Airport Ltd and Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company, have signed the Concession Agreement on 19th January, 2021 with Airports Authority of India for the Operations,” the company said.
The state government and the employees union had moved the Supreme Court against the decision to lease the airport. The government filed an appeal in the apex court challenging the Kerala High Court order which dismissed its plea in November last year.