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Five more airports to be made 'gateways'

The Union government will unveil a policy for upgrading five airports namely Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Amritsar and Guwhati to international standards to be known as gateway airports, according to the Civil Aviation Minister Ananth Kumar.

In addition to the four gateway airports, Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, these five airports after full upgradation will serve as major commerical centres and trading points, the minister told the media.

Kumar said that the plans have been discussed with the respective chief ministers to convert the existing infrastructure to state-of-the-art airports with all international facilities matching international standards. He said that the details of the equity participation will be discussed and later global tenders will be floated. International consortiums will be formed and the airports will be upgraded.

Kumar stated that the government has also decided to hand over a few airports to the state governments. ''We want that the state governments should be converted into profit-making organisations,'' he said, adding that the states could invite private participation for its upgradation.

Earlier, the minister while inaugurating the seminar which was attended by several national and international aviation experts, said that the present day aviation sector is a fulcrum for growth and development and added that the sector is the flight to the 21st century.

Taking into consideration the importance of aviation sector, he said, Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has announced disinvestment for Air-India and Indian Airlines. He said that it was a bold decision to allow disinvestment upto 51 per cent in a phased manner and financial institutions and public will be allowed to participate. He said for this enough political will was required and it is a step towards the democratisation of civil aviation.

He said that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government has decided to give a major thrust to the aviation infrastructure and will also take bold steps for the modernisation of the industry. But, the modernisation will be carried out with a human phase, he stated.

Earlier, welcoming the delegates, Air-India managing director M P Mascarenhas said that the civil aviation has travelled a long path after being pioneered by J R D Tata. It has grown in its size, nature and shape. Starting from a 40-seater aircraft, it now is capable of carrying 400 passengers in one flight. The speed has almost doubled.

It no longer caters only to maharajas, business barons and gliteratti of cinema world, he said adding that now it is a major instrument in the growth and development.

Among those who attended the seminar included Air-India and Indian Airlines chairman P C Sen, International Air Transport Organisation president Sir Harry K Tirvengadum, AI managing director Captain D Bose, Civil Aviation director-general H S Khola, Airports Authority of India chairman D V Gupta and Boeing India president Dinesh Keskar.

UNI