The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has issued an official aeronautical information publication (AIP) supplement stating the change of city and airport name from Mangalore to Mangaluru with effect from December 1. The AIP supplement said the purpose is to officially inform all stakeholders regarding the name change for Mangalore Airport and Mangalore city in AIS (Aeronautical Information Services) products.
“The name of the city Mangalore is changed to Mangaluru and the name of the airport Mangalore Airport is changed to Mangaluru International Airport, Mangaluru,” it said. According to AAI, the AIP is the basic aviation document intended primarily to satisfy international requirements for the exchange of permanent aeronautical information and long-duration temporary changes essential for air navigation. The AAI handed over the airport in October 2020 to Adani Group to operate, manage and develop for 50 years.
Speaking at the Global Investors' meet in Bengaluru, Adani Ports and SEZ Limited CEO Karan Gautam Adani on November 2 said, “Mangaluru International Airport (owned by Adani Airport Holdings, a subsidiary of Adani Group), is undergoing a facelift, and we will be expanding that airport as well.” Adani Wilmar is increasing its presence in the coastal Karnataka town of Mangaluru, he added.
Earlier in 2021, Airport Authority Employees Union (AAEU) alleged that for three of the six airports that the Adani Group won bids for – Mangaluru, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad – the amount that the Adani Group paid for leasing the airports' assets as per the final agreement is far less than what the Airports Authority of India’s bidding document states.