The Union government has initiated the process to privatise Bhubaneswar's Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA). Official sources said the move follows an in-principle approval by the Public-Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPPAC) on August 4. According to an airport officer, the next step is a go-ahead for the tendering process by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. A tender will be floated simultaneously for airports clubbed together in the privatisation plan. Once privatised, the entity is expected to take up more commercial ventures inside and outside BPIA to boost revenue. Bhubaneswar is one of 11 airports listed for privatisation. The step has drawn criticism from opposition, though details of the criticism were not provided in the report.