Mumbai, Jun 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), Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow, besides three more likely in the near future.