Shiv Sena workers damage ‘Adani Airport’ signboards around Mumbai airport
Last updated on August 9th, 2021 at 10:09 am
A group of Shiv Sena party workers on Monday damaged and removed hoardings naming Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport as Adani airport.
Shiv Sena has been opposing the renaming of the Mumbai airport after the Adani Group. A member of Maharashtra’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, Shiv Sena has said that the Adani Group has no right to change the name of the international airport in the state capital.
According to Mumbai Police, Shiv Sena workers also shouted slogans against the Adani Group while removing the boards.
“Some of the workers later came on to the Western Express Highway located near due to which traffic movement on the city’s arterial north-south road was disrupted for some time,” a police official said.
While the police have reportedly detained some of the workers over their involvement in the ruckus, a case is being registered into the matter
Adani Group’s response
Responding to the incident, Adani Airports Holding Limited (AAHL) issued a statement, clarifying that it has only replaced the previous branding with the new Adani branding and that there has been no change to the branding of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at the terminal.
“In light of the incidents around Adani Airports branding at the Mumbai International Airport, we firmly assure that AAHL has merely replaced the previous branding with Adani Airports branding and that no change has been made to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s branding or positioning at the terminal,” an AAHL spokesperson said, as quoted by media reports.
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The AAHL spokesperson further maintained that the branding boards were erected in line with the guidelines of the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
“AAHL will continue to adhere to all the guidelines laid out by the government in the interest of the aviation community at large,” the spokesperson added.
Adani Group takes control of Mumbai airport
The Adani Group has put up boards with Adani Airport brandings in several regions surrounding the airport area, including the VIP gate of the Kalina area of the airport.
Last month, the Adani Group took over the management of the Mumbai international airport from GVK Group after buying its 50.5 percent stakes in the facility. Furthermore, the Adani Group bought 23.5 percent stakes from minority partners such as Bidvest Group and Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), adding to a total of 74 percent of the stake in the airport.
Notably, Mumbai International Airport is the second busiest airport after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in the country in terms of both passenger and cargo traffic.
