The new airports at Bangalore and Hyderabad are a big leap from the old airports in these two cities. Being the earliest PPP projects in this sector, they incorporate some of the ingredients necessary for the successful implementation of such projects.

History of sorts in civil aviation was made recently in India. The event was the opening of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad and the Bangalore International Airport on March 16 and May 24, respectively. In no other country have two large private sector green-field international airports started operations within a span of just 78 days.

In a way, this is a clear signal that India is on the threshold of a new era of private participation in civil aviation. Though Bangalore was the first private sector airport to be conceptualised way back in 1994, Hyderabad edged out Bangalore close to the finishing line, when it became the first private sector commercial airport to start operations in the country.