On 4 February 2006, the four-day-long intense strike of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Employees came to an end on the basis of a written surety from the government of India that there would be no job losses due to the modernisation of the Delhi and Mumbai airports. The government has further assured the employees that there will be no victimisation of those who took part in the strike. The written note from the government also mentions that a tripartite committee will be set up to look into the issues raised by the workers. The Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, handed over the written commitment to M.K. Ghoshal, convener of the AAI Employees Joint Front.

The AAI employees` decision to go on indefinite strike against the modernisation and restructuring of the Delhi and Mumbai airports got ignited on 31 January 2006 when the empowered Group of Ministers (eGoM) made a public announcement deciding to allot Delhi airport to the Hyderabad-based GMR group, which has tie-ups with the Fraport (Frankfurt airport) and Malaysia airports. The tender for Mumbai airport modernisation was given to GVK_SA Consortium, which comprises the Indian infrastructure group, GVK, and the South African companies Airports Company South Africa Limited (ACSA) and Bidvest group Limited (Bidvest). The Consortium is supposed to invest approximately $1.5 billion. According to the partnership, the government of India will retain a 26 per cent shareholding in the airport during the concession period of thirty years with an option for a further thirty years.

Requesting the management to reconsider the modernisation plan, as well as the alternative modernisation proposal submitted by them, the AAI Employees` Joint Forum comprising Airports Authority Engineers` Guild, Airports Authority Officers` Association (IA) and Airports Authority Communication Officers` Association initiated a hunger strike on 1 February 2006. In 1996, the Joint Forum had submitted an airports modernisation plan to the government of India. The then government rejected it, and later, after a gap 10 years, the Forum submitted a revised proposal to the government. However, it was rejected once more.

Thousands of workers stayed off work and took part in demonstrations around the airport premises in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. The Airport officials claimed that flights were not disrupted due to the protest. But the arrival-departure signboard reflected indefinite delay, cancellations and clubbing of flights. The entire airport premises were dirty and filthy because the safai workers also joined the protest. The protestors were adamant that they would continue their protest till the minister calls for a dialogue. On 2 February, the employees on strike at New Delhi airport, shouted slogans and burnt an effigy of Sonia Gandhi in midst of a massive crowd of passengers who were at the airport due to delayed flights. The same day, in Mumbai airport the police lathicharged the protestors, hurting 20 employees, injuring one of them a woman severely. Irked by this violence on the movement, many more employees, including the Airport Fire Service (AFS) joined the strike.

On 3 February 2006, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the leaders of the AAI union and requested them to call off strike. He assured the employees that their jobs would be protected. Responding to the Prime Ministers` assurance, M.K. Ghoshal stated that the loss of jobs was not the main concern of the protestors. He said emphatically that the unions were opposing the systematic unit-wise privatisation of the AAI by giving away profit-making Delhi and Mumbai airports to private hands. Many employees on protest expressed their fear of retrenchment at the hands of the private players.

The AAI union and other unions, who supported the workers on strike, considered the written assurance by Patel as a victory of the working class. AITUC General Secretary, Gurudas Dasgupta, stated that the assurance was a significant victory for the trade unions and a jolt to the government on its privatisation policy. The Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) president, M.K. Pandhe, who was present at the meeting, stated that that CITU would stand against any policy, especially privatisation, which hampers working class interests.

A statement issued by the CPI (M) Politburo condemned the government`s `brazen` policy of privatisation of a strategic sector and stated that the battle against privatisation and for their rights is not over. At the same time, the CPI clearly stated that if this is a precursor to further privatisation moves in profit-making public sector undertakings, the Left parties will have to fight against them at all levels. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) condemned the privatisation efforts of the Delhi and Mumbai airports as nothing short of crony capitalism in the garb of reforms. Sharad Yadav president of Janata Dal (United), while addressing the media after the strike was called off  pointed out that the privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports was nothing but a sell-off in the guise of modernisation.  He questioned the rationale of privatising the two airports that generated 65 per cent of the AAI revenue. According to him, the need of the hour was proper autonomy to help the AAI unleash its potential.

The attempt by the government to privatise these airports was, ostensibly, to develop and build world-class airports; what amounted to the concept of `world-class` are subjective criteria. Moreover, in the National Common Minimum Programme, the UPA government had taken a clear stand that none of the profit-making PSUs would be privatised.