New Delhi/Mumbai | The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Wednesday took charge of the security of the recently inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the airport, also the country's largest greenfield airport built at a cost of Rs 19,650 crore, on October 8. The airport is slated to begin commercial operations in December.

"About 200 CISF personnel have been inducted during a formal ceremony held at the airport on Wednesday. The total CISF manpower sanction for this airport is 1,840 personnel and by December, when commercial operations begin, the force will have 900 personnel in position," a senior officer said.

The induction ceremony was attended by CISF director general (DG) Praveer Ranjan, senior officers of the force and the airport authorities.

This is the 71st airport under the counter-terrorist security cover of the CISF.

This is the second airport in the Mumbai region, after the Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, and is spread across 1,160 hectares.

The airport will have a terminal and a runway in the first phase with an annual passenger handling capacity of 20 million.

The entire project is being developed in multiple phases by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), a company in which the Adani Group has a 74 per cent stake with the remaining 26 per cent held by the Maharashtra government's town planning and development agency CIDCO