MANGALURU: A silhouette of an aircraft with waves gently breaking on the seashore hosted on the Twitter page of Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) saw Adani Group add a new chapter to its logistics business.
MIA is the first of three airports with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that the group took control on Saturday. The group will formally take over Lucknow and Ahmedabad airports on November 2 and November 11 respectively.
The change in ‘display picture’ on the Twitter Page from the ubiquitous AAI logo to a simple ‘Mangaluru International Airport’ also marked the transition of MIA to private management. “Welcome the #GatewayToGoodness in your lives. The Mangaluru International Airport family is privileged to serve you on your journey to let your dreams take flight. #travel #airport #aviation #Mangaluru,” the accompanying message posted at 1.29am said.
AAI in a release recently had stated the ministry of civil aviation had signed memorandums of understanding with three entities of Adani group to provide services such as customs, immigration and security at the above mentioned three airports. Mangaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow are among the six airports – Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati being the other three that the union government privatised in February 2019.
The union cabinet in July 2019 had taken a decision to lease Mangaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow airports to Adani group which also won the rights to operate the other three airports through a competitive bidding process. The government on August 19 approved the proposal to lease out the other three airports to the Ahmedabad-based group. AAI established liaison with the group to get their management team on board in the transition stage.
Then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru put this city on the aviation map of India when he arrived at Bajpe aerodrome on a Douglas DC-3 aircraft on December 25, 1951. The airport, which is the second busiest in Karnataka, also has the distinction of being the first one in the state to have two runways - 09/27 opened in 1951 and 06/24 opened in May 2006 and first to have a concrete runway. The air cargo complex at the airport was commissioned in 2013.