Mumbai, June 23 (IANS) The Maharashtra government on Wednesday approved Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) to operate the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport in the adjoining Thane-Raigad region, an official said here.
The state cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray gave its green signal to AAHL as the new concessionaire to the prestigious greenfield airport coming up as a public-private partnership (PPP) project.
Earlier, the airport was to be developed by GVK, which was running the Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL). But last year it was taken over by AAHL, and the same was approved by the Directorate of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, SEBI, CCI and finally the CIDCO, which is overseeing the mega-project.
With this, the AAHL, headed by industrial magnate Gautam Adani, becomes the biggest private airport operator running several major airports like Mumbai, Navi Mumbai (upcoming), Ahmedabad and Lucknow, besides three more likely in the near future.
The AAHL -- a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEHL) -- now has a majority stake in the new airport, with 26 per cent belonging to the AAI.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport is coming up on 1,160 hectares of land. It is expected to become operational in 2023-2024 and is poised to become the country's leading airport over the next decade for both domestic and international flights.