Airport will get a new boss in two weeks

The official handover of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to the new management—Mumbai International Airports Ltd (MIAL)—is likely to take place between one and two weeks.

The first major step towards this was taken on Wednesday when the GVK group-led consortium officially took over the management control of MIAL by bringing in the capital and the new chairman GV Krishna Reddy taking charge.

“The physical takeover of the airport will take place over the next few weeks triggering a three month transition phase for the operations when teams from both AAI and the MIAL will be working together,” said GV Sanjay Reddy, director, GVK Group.

The GVK-Airports South Africa consortium holds 76 per cent equity in the joint venture while the AAI holds the remaining. The company is finalising a 20-year master plan, which has to be submitted within six months of the OMDA, he said.

In the meantime the airport will get a facelift within the first three months of the “effective date” apart from an exercise to increase operational efficiencies at the airport to decongest, he added.

A major challenge before the developers will be the rehabilitation of the 85,000 odd hutments in the slums surrounding the airport. “We will build dwellings at an alternate location that is being identified with the local authorities”, said Reddy.