Aviation

AAI signs Rs 945 crore deal with Harris Corp

With an aim to address the safety and efficiency concerns that lack air navigational infrastructure in India, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed a Rs 945 crore deal  with Harris Corporation. The 15-year-contract was signed by A K Banerjee, ED (CNS-OM) and Rick Simonian, VP, Harris Corporation at the 6th US-India Aviation Summit, held at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai.

As part of the deal, Harris Corporation will serve as the prime contractor and systems integrator for the programme, which is to be implemented over a period of two years.

“India’s exponential air traffic growth is creating demand for new aircrafts, air navigation technologies, airport security equipment and infrastructure. India expects 10 per cent air traffic growth annually, and Harris will be upgrading 91 sites for air traffic operation, serving 2.9 million miles of airspace,” said Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman, AAI after signing the deal.

Currently AAI owns 129 airports and handles more than 190 million passengers, which is expected to double to 337 million domestic and 84 million international passengers over the next decade.