BS READS: Rs 10,000-cr hit behind govt plan to sell Delhi, Mumbai airports

With the golden geese laying golden eggs no more, the Modi government's decision to sell Delhi and Mumbai airports could well save it from flogging a dead horse in the coming years

As the central government makes it clear that it will sell Airport Authority of India’s (AAI’s) stake in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and various other airports to private players, some details that are emerging paint a distressing picture of factors that may be necessitating this sale. AAI could potentially be staring at lost revenues to the tune of over Rs 10,000 crore from Delhi and Mumbai airports in the next few years due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry. GMR-owned Delhi and Adani-owned Mumbai airport account for over 90 per cent of AAI’s lease rental