Grounded in Mumbai

Issues related to airport deal raise questions

There is no question that the disposal of India’s assets in civil aviation is proving to be controversial. The government’s recent actions in this sector may lead to the build-up of a monopolistic capture of the sector, almost certainly leading to major problems for travellers, airlines, and the government itself in coming years. As this newspaper has argued, the Thiruvananthapuram airport dispute shows all the signs of simmering for some time, and it will be difficult to get co-operation from the state government — or even the opposition. The issues involved with the Mumbai airports — current and proposed —