Kochi: Kerala’s Cochin International Airport paved the way for public-private partnership (PPP) in the aviation sector in the country, a top urban planning official said here on Sunday.
Geetha Ajit Pillai, chief general manager (transports and airports) of the Maharashtra government’s City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), reminded the city of the origins of its airport as she attended a panel discussion on PPP Projects at the National Urban Conclave – Bodhi 2022 at Bolgatty Palace here.
“It was the first-ever effort to bring in privatisation in airport development in the country. The privatisation in Delhi and Mumbai airports came much later,” she said.
The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) at Nedumbassery was a pioneering venture in attracting NRI investment in the infrastructure development of the state.
At the session, Pillai gave a detailed presentation on the role of governments and the challenges in PPP model in the airport sector. She spoke about how CIDCO anticipated the challenges while planning the Navi Mumbai International Airport and tackled them effectively.
Navi Mumbai is the second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It has been planned for 60 million passengers and 1.5 million tonnes of cargo per annum.
Pillai called for private participation in the airport sector citing different growth projections and governmental limitations. “At present, India ranks third behind China and the USA in air passengers transported by airlines. As per Boeing, India's air traffic is projected to see a nearly 7 percent annual growth through 2040.
"Aviation Consultants CAPA estimates that domestic Indian traffic could approach 1 billion passengers by 2040. Airport and airspace modernisation needs to keep pace with this rapid growth. Airports need to increase operational efficiency through new-generation airports, airspace design and integration. These require significant capital investment. Such a massive scale of infrastructure development cannot be done overnight. It requires long-term planning. For these, the governments have their limitations of finance and expertise,” she said in her presentation.
Loveleen Garg, Chief Town Planner, GIFT City, spoke on the experience of designing and managing a planned business district in Gujarat.
Bindu C A, head of the department, architecture and planning, Government Engineering College, Thrissur, moderated the session.
