AAI reorients policy for granting license for commercial facilities at airports

New Delhi: With gradual pick up in air passenger movements which is now almost touching to pre-pandemic levels, Airports Authority of India (AAI), the largest airport operator in the country, has redeemed its focus on exploitation of commercial opportunities at its airports to enhance non-aeronautical revenue as well as passenger experience.

Officials said that AAI has recently reoriented its policy for granting licence to operate commercial facilities like retails, advertisement rights, duty free shops, F&B etc., at its airports.

Officials said that aiming for enhanced ease of doing business, the AAI policy has been liberalised and made open to attract more and more entrepreneurs to operate such facilities at AAI operated airports.

AAI is focusing to augment non-aeronautical revenue generation at its established airports in a big way so as to garner resources required for development of airport infrastructure across length and breadth of the country.

The new airports operationalised by AAI in recent years have encouraged passenger traction. The exploitation of non-aeronautical revenue is vital to accomplish its aim to make airports viable.

An AAI official said that the process to grant licenses to operate commercial facilities at AAI airports has already started and is likely to gain momentum in coming months. AAI grants licenses through open tenders at CPP portal of the government, he added.