The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be named after Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray, the father of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, it was announced on Thursday.

The airport, coming up in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, is expected to relieve the pressure on the Mumbai international airport. Some local politicians had demanded that the new airport be named for farmer leader late D B Patil. Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, who made the announcement, said the chief minister has assured the DB Patil Action Samiti, which is raising this demand, that some other project will be named after the farmer leader.