A thorn in Gautam Adani’s airports crown

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Editor's note: The glee in Gautam Adani’s statement was palpable.  His Adani Airport Holdings Ltd had just taken management control of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on 13 July. “We are delighted to take over the management of the world class Mumbai International Airport. We promise to make Mumbai proud,” Adani tweeted. The takeover was an apt birthday gift for the entrepreneur who had turned 59 just three weeks earlier. Adani, after having taken leadership positions in India’s ports and power sectors, had become the largest airport operator in the country. No other business in the $15 billion Adani Group had seen such a meteoric rise. It took Adani a little over two years to lord over a quarter of the Indian aviation market, which was among the fastest growing in the world before COVID-19 struck. Despite the pandemic, the Indian aviation market is set to be the third largest in the world by 2024.  The GVK Group, which was earlier running the airport in Mumbai, may take “the world class” bit in Adani’s statement as a backhanded compliment. …