What happens to AAI employees after privatisation of airports?

• 'Interests of the AAI employees deployed at the airports brought under PPP have been fully protected'
• 'The Concessionaire (new owner after privatisation of an airport) is liable to extend the offer of appointment to minimum 60 percent of employees on terms and conditions not inferior to the existing terms'

New Delhi: After privatisation of airports, Airports Authority of India (AAI) employees can either choose to be employed by the new owner on terms and conditions not inferior to the existing ones or can return to AAI, the Minister of State (MoS) for Civil Aviation Gen (Retd) Dr VK Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. However, the minister did not respond clearly in the affirmative or negative on being asked to state the number of AAI employees, both regular and contractual,  who have lost their jobs in the wake of privatisation of airports.

"Interests of the AAI employees deployed at the airports brought under PPP have been fully protected. As per the Concession Agreement with the concessionaires of six airports brought under PPP recently, the employees up to the level of Assistant General Manager will continue to be posted at respective Airport for three years (ie one year Joint Management period followed by two years deemed deputation period). Also, the Concessionaire is liable to extend the offer of appointment to minimum 60 percent of employees on terms and conditions not inferior to the existing terms. Subsequently, employees have the option to join the Concessionaire or to return to AAI," the minister told the Upper House of Parliament in a written response.

3,124 posts vacant in AAI currently

Dr Singh told the House that a total of 6,403 posts in group 'C' and 'D' cadres, which were vacant for a prolonged period and became redundant over a period of time were abolished in the year 2018. Presently, 3,124 posts are vacant in AAI, he added.

Privatisation of airports

AAI has leased out eight of its airports — Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (Maharashtra), Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Mangaluru International Airport (Karnataka), Jaipur International Airport (Rajasthan), Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport , Guwahati (Assam) and Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (Kerala) through Public Private Partnership (PPP) for operation, management and development on long term lease basis.

Apart from the above, Mundra Airport in Gujarat, Jamshedpur Airport in Jharkhand, Bengaluru and Vidhyanagar airports in Karnataka, Cochin International Airport and Kannur International Airport in Kerala, Nanded in Maharashtra, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad in Telangana and Durgapur in West Bengal have been developed, operated, and managed by private operators, the minister said.

(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)