Though the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is keen on privatising airports run by it, its employees seem to be wary of their career prospects under the new private concessionaire who has taken over six airports in the country. The three-year joint operation by the employees of the AAI and the Adani Group has been completed in three airports, namely Ahmedabad, Mangaluru, and Lucknow, but not a single AAI employee in these airports was ready to accept the offer letter of the private concessionaire.
Instead, they decided to work in other airports under the AAI. All the employees were given relieving letters on October 31 when the joint operation period ended. In the case of Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and Jaipur airports, the joint operation will be completed only by next year as their takeover was delayed by a year following court battles. A combined operation for three years was suggested to give the new operator time to familiarise themselves with the airport operation.
Among the six airports, only one employee had joined the Adani Group-run management — in Thiruvananthapuram. According to AAI sources, the employees have been on leave since November 1 and a meeting of employees’ representatives with AAI officials, scheduled for Friday in New Delhi, will explore the possibility of extending the period for a brief time, said sources.
