AAI employees to disrupt air services

Threat came amidst reports of financial bids for revamp opening Tuesday.

The airport employees on Monday threatened to disrupt air services nationwide if the government proceeded with the privatisation process for modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports.

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The threat came amidst strong indications that financial bids of private consortia would be opened on Tuesday.

The warning by the AAI Employees Joint Forum came after their 90-minute meeting with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in New Delhi.

The Forum Convenor MK Ghoshal said, "we have so far not taken any steps to cause inconvenience to the air traveller. But if the government went ahead with privatisation, we could even consider closure of all airports. It could be a massive industrial action, the responsibility of which will squarely lie on the government."

Meanwhile, sources said that the financial bids of shortlisted private consortia will be opened on Tuesday and the empowered Group of Ministers informed about it.

"If financial bids are forcibly opened, then it will lead to confrontation between the government and the employees," the Forum leaders said.

At the talks, both Patel and the Forum leaders stuck to their stands, with Ghoshal saying "we agreed to disagree".

The Forum leader said government has "not given us any satisfactory reply" on what happened to the alternate plan for modernising the two airports, submitted by the Forum last year to Manmohan Singh.