Centre prepares 11 AAI airports for 50-year PPP privatisation, with bidder-win cap planned

The government has in-principle approval to privatise 11 Airports Authority of India airports across five 50-year PPP bundles. A proposed cap on the number of bundles one bidder can win aims to curb concentration after Adani won all six airports in the previous AAI auction.

— Source publishedMon, 24 Aug, 2026, 18:58 IST·First seen Mon, 24 Aug, 2026, 19:24 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

Airports Authority of India · The Centre has won in-principle approval to privatise 11 AAI airports in five 50-year PPP bundles. A cap on bundles won by any one

Key facts

  • 11 AAI airports
  • 5 airport bundles
  • 50-year PPP concessions
  • 1 cap on bundles per bidder, exact limit pending
  • Adani Airport Holdings has 8 airports
  • Adani accounts for about 25% of passenger footfalls
  • AAI manages 129 airports
  • 6 airports in the 2018-19 privatisation round
  • 13 airports identified for PPP in 2021
  • 25 AAI airports identified for monetisation between 2022 and 2025

Why this matters

Use the bidder cap to pursue operator, retail and concession partnerships in airports where diversified ownership may create new routes to market and acquisition opportunities.