How to File RTI with AAI for Airport Land Acquisition, Construction, and Passenger Grievances — Compensation Rates, Contractor Details, and Project Timelines

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body established under the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994, and functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. AAI manages 137 airports across the country, including international, domestic, and customs airports, and is responsible for the construction, management, and expansion of airport infrastructure. Because AAI is wholly owned and substantially financed by the Central Government, it is unambiguously a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Airport expansion projects — new runways, terminal buildings, cargo complexes, and related infrastructure — often involve large-scale land acquisition, displacement of farming and residential communities, and multi-crore civil construction contracts. Passengers at AAI-managed airports also have a right to timely resolution of complaints about baggage handling, accessibility, cleanliness, and other service issues. The Right to Information Act is the most effective legal tool available to both displaced communities and passengers to hold AAI accountable. This guide explains what information you can seek, which CPIO to approach, how to file at the correct portal, and how to escalate if the response is inadequate.

Land Acquisition and Compensation: What You Can Ask For

Airport expansion projects require acquisition of agricultural and residential land from communities often located at the periphery of existing airports. The compensation offered is determined by the Competent Authority (Land Acquisition) under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (or the older Land Acquisition Act, 1894, for older acquisitions), and is supposed to reflect the circle rate, market value, and statutory multipliers prescribed by the law. In practice, affected families frequently discover that the compensation awarded is below the actual market rate.

RTI is the primary tool through which you can obtain the foundational records to challenge an inadequate compensation award. You can ask for:

• The land acquisition notification (preliminary and final) with survey/khasra numbers and the total area notified
• The circle rate certified by the District Collector for each category of land in the affected villages at the time of acquisition
• The compensation rate per acre or hectare actually awarded by the Competent Authority, broken down by land category
• The total compensation sanctioned and disbursed, and the number of families still awaiting payment or Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) benefits
• Court or tribunal orders passed in connection with land acquisition disputes relating to the airport project

If the RTI response reveals a discrepancy between the circle rate and the awarded rate, or shows that families listed as having received compensation actually did not, the information becomes documentary evidence for a reference to the court under the applicable law or for a complaint to the district administration.

Contractor and Tender Details: Ensuring Accountability in Construction

Airport construction projects involve significant public expenditure on civil works — terminal buildings, runways, aprons, taxiways, and ancillary structures. AAI procures these works through public tenders, and the names of contractors, contract values, and tender processes are public procurement records. RTI allows citizens, journalists, and civil society groups to verify whether contracts were awarded transparently and whether project costs are within approved limits.

You can ask for:

• Names of contractors awarded major civil works packages, the tender process followed (open/limited/single-source), and the number of bids received
• Contract value for each package and the scheduled completion date in the contract
• Revisions to contract value or scope after initial award, along with the reasons for each revision
• Whether any contract has been terminated and re-tendered, and the reasons for termination

AAI publishes tender notices on its website and on the Government's Central Public Procurement Portal (eprocure.gov.in). If you find a discrepancy between what is publicly advertised and what the RTI response reveals, this may indicate irregularities worth escalating to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), or the relevant parliamentary standing committee.

Project Timelines and Terminal Construction Status

Delays in airport construction projects affect both the public exchequer and the millions of passengers who depend on adequate terminal capacity. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved by AAI and the Ministry sets out the original project timeline and cost estimate. RTI allows you to compare the approved timeline against actual progress and to obtain official explanations for delays.

You can ask for:

• The approved project timeline from the DPR or sanctioned project plan, including scheduled start and completion dates
• Current physical and financial progress expressed as a percentage of total work, as on a specified date
• Reasons for any delay beyond the original scheduled completion date, and the revised target date
• Status of statutory approvals required for the project, including environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and clearance from the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) where applicable
• Whether the new or expanded terminal has been commissioned, partially opened, or is still under construction, and the expected date of commissioning

This category of information is particularly valuable for journalists tracking infrastructure delivery timelines and for passengers who need to know when capacity at congested airports will improve.

Passenger Grievance Redressal Records

AAI is responsible for managing passenger-facing services at its airports — baggage handling coordination, terminal hygiene, accessibility facilities for persons with disabilities, and the interface with airlines and security agencies. When passengers submit complaints, AAI is obligated to acknowledge and resolve them within a reasonable time. RTI allows passengers to obtain data on how AAI handles complaints in aggregate and to check whether their individual complaint was recorded and resolved.

You can ask for:

• Total number of passenger complaints received at a specific airport during a defined period, broken down by category
• Number of complaints resolved versus pending, and average resolution time
• Composition and meeting records of any Passenger Grievance Redressal Committee at the airport
• Number of complaints escalated to the Ministry of Civil Aviation or DGCA and the outcome of each

How to File Your RTI Application

File your RTI online at rtionline.gov.in. On the portal:

1. Register or log in with your mobile number or email address
2. Select Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation
3. Select Public Authority: choose Airports Authority of India (for Headquarters CPIO) or the relevant Regional Office / Airport if listed separately
4. Write your application in the text box or attach a PDF if the application is lengthy
5. Pay the fee of ₹10 online (net banking, debit card, UPI)
6. Save the registration number to track your application

BPL cardholders are exempt from the application fee — attach a self-attested copy of the BPL card with your application.

Alternative — postal or in-person filing: You may also send a written application by post to the CPIO at the address above, enclosing a demand draft or postal order of ₹10 drawn in favour of "Airports Authority of India". Retain a copy of the application and the postal receipt as proof of submission.

Appeals

First Appeal — Section 19(1)

If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days of receipt of your application, or if the response is incomplete, incorrect, or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at the same AAI office. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Where the information requested concerns the life or liberty of a person — for instance, if you are a displaced family without shelter pending resettlement and seeking records of your R&R entitlement — the CPIO is required to furnish information within 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. Failure to respond within 48 hours in such cases is itself grounds for an immediate First Appeal.

Second Appeal — Section 19(3)

If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) within 90 days. AAI is a Central Government body — all second appeals go to the CIC, not any State Information Commission. The CIC has authority under Section 20 to impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the CPIO for unjustified denial or delay in furnishing information.