Question : COMMERCIAL AIRPORTS

(a) the details of commercial airports operating in the country alongwith their financial status during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise and location-wise;

(b) whether several airports, out of the above, are incurring losses;

(c) if so, the details thereof alongwith the reasons, airport-wise;

(d) whether the Government proposes to compensate the loss of these airports and to bring them back in profit making position; and

(e) if so, the details thereof alongwith the time by which these airports are likely to be made commercially viable?

MINISTER OF OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS & MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (SHRI VAYALAR RAVI)

(a): The financial status of commercial airports operated by Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the last three years is enclosed at Annexure I.

(b) & (c): Yes, Madam. Majority of airports are incurring losses. Details of summarized revenue earned and expenditure made for each airport is enclosed at Annexure I. The main reason for these airports going into losses is poor traffic to these airports.

(d) & (e): To compensate for such losses, the AAI takes measures for commercial development at airports. Government has also permitted levy of User Development Fee (UDF) at certain airports so as to improve viability of these airports. At present, AAI is levying UDF at Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Jaipur, Mangalore, Trichy, Udaipur, Varanasi, Trivandrum and Visakhapatnam airports.