Nasir Azam
Srinagar, Aug 1: Srinagar airport is the third highest profit-making airport for the Airport Authority of India (AAI) which maintains 133 airports across India.
Details available reveal that Srinagar airport is the third highest profit-making airport for the AAI after Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Airport, Kolkata and Pune airport.
Srinagar airport generated profit of Rs 20.16 crore for AAI while Kolkata and Pune airports generated profit of Rs 145.28 crore and Rs 39.13 crore, respectively.
These details have been laid bare in the department-related parliament standing committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture.
According to the report, the Ministry of Civil Aviation told the parliamentary committee that there are only profit-making airports with AAI.
“As regards profitability of airports, the Ministry highlighted that there are 133 airports with AAI including JVC and PPP Airports. Out of 130 AAI airports (excluding 3 JVC airports), 9 airports operated by AAI are profit-making airports,” reads the report.
As per report, the profit-making airports include Behala, Jammu, Jamnagar, Kanpur Chakeri Flying Club, NSCBI Airport, Kolkata, Leh, Pune, Srinagar and Darbhanga.
Jammu and Leh airports have respectively generated profit of Rs 0.09 crore and Rs 2.82 crore.
After enquiring about reasons about less number of airports making profits, the parliamentary panel said that it agrees with the fact that an airport in general becomes profitable when adequate traffic flows from the airport.
“The committee feels that the Ministry should work towards increasing the share of air transport for cargo movement as the same would help generate revenue for the airports. AAI should also work with airlines to attract new routes and increase frequency on existing routes to attract maximum passengers,” the committee said.
