The story so far: The Ministry of Civil Aviation is examining whether to relax cross-ownership restrictions between airport operators and airlines. Officials are preparing a concept note for consultations with NITI Aayog and other government ministries before any proposal is taken to the Union Cabinet.

The exercise comes amid media reports, citing a letter from Adani Airports CEO Arun Bansal, that the proposed changes are linked to the Adani Group’s reported interest in entering the airline business. However, Adani Enterprises denied the reports.