The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Wednesday formally took charge of the security of the newly inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport, one of India’s most ambitious infrastructure projects.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the airport, the country’s largest greenfield airport, on 8 October. Built at a cost of Rs 196.5 billion, the airport is expected to begin commercial operations in December.

According to a senior CISF official, around 200 personnel have already been inducted following a ceremony held at the airport on Wednesday. “The total sanctioned CISF strength for this airport is 1,840 personnel, and by December, when commercial operations begin, the force will have 900 personnel in place,” the officer said.

The induction event was attended by CISF Director General Praveer Ranjan, senior officers, and airport authorities. With this, Navi Mumbai International Airport becomes the 71st airport under CISF’s counter-terrorist security cover.

Spread across 1,160 hectares, the airport will initially have one terminal and one runway, capable of handling 20 million passengers annually in the first phase.

The entire project is being developed in multiple phases by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), a joint venture in which the Adani Group holds a 74 per cent stake, while the remaining 26 per cent is owned by the Maharashtra government’s development agency CIDCO.