The AAI is currently scrutinising the bids in order to shortlist the consultants. It had floated an international tender to invite consultants for the privatisation of these airports.

"The privatisation has generated a lot of interest and we have received the bids of all the big-wigs in the consultancy business. We have begun examining the bids in order to short-list the consultants" said a senior level AAI source.

Incidentally, the international tender was floated before the Government decided to include Chennai and Bangalore airports in the privatisation plan. The Government had earlier planned to privatise airports in only Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta. The consultants will draw-up the legal and financial framework for theprivatisation. The framework will then be sent to the Cabinet for its approval.

The Government plans to appoint a foreign consultant along with an Indian partner for the job. The consultants will work out several issues including the equity sharing pattern between the Government and the private party.

Civil aviation minister Ananth Kumar has announced that the first of these airports will be privatised within a year.