New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS): A total of 25 airports have been earmarked for leasing over the years between 2022 and 2025, the Parliament was told on Monday.

As per the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP), 25 Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports - Bhubaneshwar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Raipur, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Surat, Ranchi, Jodhpur, Chennai, Vijayawada, Vadodara, Bhopal, Tirupati, Hubli, Imphal, Agartala, Udaipur, Dehradun, and Rajahmundry, have been earmarked for leasing over the years 2022 to 2025, Minister of State, Civil Aviation, Gen V.K. Singh (retd) told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

The AAI has leased out eight of its airports under Public Private Partnership (PPP) for operation, management and development on a long term lease basis. These are the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, Mangaluru International Airport, Jaipur International Airport, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati, and the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.

The Minister informed that airports of AAI are leased out in public interest for their better management, utilising private sector efficiency and investment.

States and passengers are the ultimate beneficiary of enhanced airport infrastructure and facilities created by private partners, who operate, manage and develop the leased airport under PPP, he said, adding that airports have emerged as a nucleus of economic activities and have a multiplier effect on the economy of the state.

The revenue received by AAI from the leased airports is also utilised in development of airport infrastructure across the country, he added.