In order to fulfill the increasing demand of α-amylases at the level of industries, cost effective procedures should be applied in α-amylase production. The present study investigates the production of α-amylase in the presence of potato starch as the main carbon source for the halotolerant bacterium Bacillus aquimaris VITP4. This halotolerant bacterium exhibited enhanced enzyme production in 1 M NaCl concentration (14.48 U/mg) and in the presence of 5 g substrate. At optimal conditions, pH 7.5 and temperature 50°C, the hydrolytic activity of the enzyme was found to be 1,090 U/ml (specific activity 947 U/mg). The activity was enhanced by the presence of calcium and ferrous ions whereas other metal ions had an inhibitory activity. Partial purification of the enzyme was carried out using 80 % (w/v) ammonium sulphate precipitation that resulted in 2 fold purity and the molecular mass as determined from SDS-PAGE was 49 kDa. The ease of production and partial characterization reveals application of α-amylase in industries like paper, bread, bakery, starch saccharification and food industries.