NL Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Airports Authority of India (AAI) shelled out nearly 20 per cent higher amount of Rs 796 crore towards repairs and maintenance works of 101 airports in the last financial year, according to official data.
Since the fiscal 2021-22, AAI's expenditure towards these activities at the airports has been on the rise.
The amount rose to Rs 795.72 crore in the last financial year ended March 2024, from Rs 663.42 crore in 2022-23.
In 2021-22, the expenditure towards repairs and maintenance works was Rs 535.02 crore, as per the data shared by the civil aviation ministry with the Rajya Sabha.
The expenditure figures have been provided for 121 AAI airports, and out of them, no money in this regard was spent for 20 airports, according to the data.
Concerns regarding maintenance of airport buildings came to the fore following the collapse of the forecourt canopy at Terminal 1D of the Delhi airport amid rains on June 28.
Also, the kerb area canopy made of tensile fabric got torn at Jabalpur Airport on June 27 and at Rajkot Airport on June 29.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on July 29, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said all airport operators have been directed to carry out a third-party audit of the structural stability of airport buildings and associated infrastructures.
“All the airport operators have also been directed to carry out a thorough evaluation of all civil, electrical and technical aspects of the building, including the design, specifications and workmanship of the roof sheeting structure before the onset of monsoon every year,” he had said.
During the construction of an airport, various factors, including those in accordance with National Building Codes, are taken into consideration.
Among other measures, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducts inspections of licensed airports for airside infrastructure under its annual surveillance plan.
AAI and public-private partnership (PPP) partners have planned a capital expenditure of over Rs 91,000 crore for the period from 2019-20 to 2024-25. The amount is for development, upgradation and modernisation of various airports.
