No proposal to privatize Air India and Airport Authority: Patel

July 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Wednesday airlines operating from India should follow the law of the land while frisking passengers in airports. Referring to the recent controversy over the frisking of Former President A.P.J.

July 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Tuesday that he would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this week to discuss the appointment of independent directors to the board of Air India in a bid to revive the ailing national carrier. "I will be discussing names of eminent people who can give time and make a turnaround of Air India with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this week," Patel told reporters.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The new aviation regulator, Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), will settle all contentious issues in the aviation sector, including the airport development fee issue, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Thursday. Replying to questions in parliament, Patel said: "AERA has been constituted by an act of parliament and has started functioning.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Air traffic congestion at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here will end once the new terminal T3 becomes operational by April 2010, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said Thursday. "I do concede there there is a problem.

July 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Cash-strapped national carrier Air India is expected to register a loss of Rs.5,000 crore last fiscal, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told parliament Tuesday. "Nacil (National Aviation Co of India Ltd, that operates Air India) is expected to register a loss of approximately Rs.5,000 crore in 2008-09, largely due to high operating expenses, which have been compounded due to the present economic recession resulting in a drop in passengers," the minister said in a reply in Rajya Sabha.

March 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Saturday laid the foundation of a new greenfield airport at Pakyong in Sikkim and an airport terminal building at Dibrugarh in Assam. The minister, who began his tour to launch airport modernisation projects across the country Feb 20, has so far laid the foundation of nine airport terminal buildings and also inaugurated a swanky departure terminal at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi.

February 28th, 2009 SURAT - Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Friday laid the foundation of a new terminal at Surat airport, the eighth such terminal project in the country since Feb 20. The new domestic terminal, a glass and steel structure, will have a floor area of 8,474 square metres and offer modern passenger friendly facilities like central heating and air conditioning system, Patel said.

February 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Defending the government's decision to levy surcharge on passengers at the Delhi airport, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Thursday said 'airports of certain scale' being developed by the Airports Authority of India could also do the same. 'This should be taken in the right spirit.

February 27th, 2009 VADODARA - Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Thursday laid the foundation of a new terminal here, the seventh since Feb 20, after inaugurating the departure terminal at the Delhi airport earlier in the day. After Vadodara airport, the minister will lay the foundation stone of the terminal building at Surat airport Friday, officials of the Airports Authority of India said.

February 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A gleaming new domestic terminal awaits air passengers in India's capital when they fly out early April, with its developers giving a sneak preview of the upgraded infrastructure Thursday. Exclusive driveway for entry, inline baggage screening system, 72-counter check-in facility, spacious area for food and beverage outlets and attractive retail space are some of the features of the new terminal.

February 21st, 2009 MUMBAI - The government is examining a proposal to allow foreign carriers to pick up stakes in domestic airlines, which are facing a crisis on account of economic slowdown, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Friday. 'The consultation process is on,' Patel said at the groundbreaking function for a new integrated terminal at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here to be built by a consortium led by the Hyderabad-based GVK group.

February 21st, 2009 RAIPUR - The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will invest Rs.1.36 billion for construction of a new integrated terminal at the Raipur airport, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Friday. 'The AAI will be investing Rs.136 crore (Rs.1.36 billion) for a new integrated terminal at Raipur airport to make it an international-standard airport,' Patel said here at a function to lay the foundation stone for the new terminal building.

December 28th, 2008 KOLKATA - Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Monday set the ball rolling for a Rs.16-billion modernisation of the international airport here, which will include a new terminal, modern taxiways and extension of a runway so that it can handle the giant Airbus A-380 aircraft. The modernisation project, the foundation stone for which was laid by West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, is targeted for completion by May 2011.

December 28th, 2008 KOLKATA - Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel will inaugurate the modernisation project of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport here Monday evening. The total cost of the project is around Rs.16.02 billion (Rs.1,602 crore).

December 22nd, 2008 NEW DELHI - The government Tuesday said it would take 'all possible steps, including legal action' against airlines if they continue to default on airport service charge dues. According to the government, the airlines owe around Rs.11.01 billion (Rs.1,101 crore) to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in the airport service charge.