Expect wait to get longer for airport expansion

NEW DELHI: With modernisation of the Chennai Airport progressing at a snail’s pace, Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials are wringing their hands in frustration.For starters, the project failed to meet its June deadline. That was extended to December, but that is a deadline the airport is certain to miss, according to AAI officials who are clued into the project. “Only by March-April 2012 the terminals will be opened to public. Hopefully it will be functional, but the project will not be over by then.  Works will continue on the airside, as the terminals get operational. That’s how the T3 terminal in Delhi was opened - it became functional while airside works were still on,” an Airport Authority of India source said.Then there is the red tape in the tendering process as they get stuck at every step. Recently, a tender for building aerobridges in alignment with the new terminals got into trouble as a Chinese company that bagged the contract defaulted. “There were some issues with that tender and we had to cancel it. A new tender for aerobridges has now been called for,” a project officer with AAI said. “Many such tenders are yet to be awarded. For instance, a tender for setting up an integrated CUTE (Common User Terminal Equipment) system for the entire terminal is pending. Without the CUTE system no airline will have a proper check-in counter for passengers,” he added.As an AAI official quipped under anonymity: “Let’s admit it: a project of this magnitude is beyond AAI’s capability. With its bureaucratic setup, it is impossible to fast-track the work. In contrast, decision-making is much faster if a private organisation is involved. In Chennai, everyone just sits around. Papers move in Delhi.”