Mumbai: PM Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate the first phase of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) on October 8, said a senior Maharashtra government official. The new greenfield airport, equipped with all modern facilities, has been built at a cost of Rs 19,647 crore. This will be the second major airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), after the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
Commercial flights from Navi Mumbai Airport are likely to start by December this year. The airport received its aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on September 30. The project is being developed in several phases by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd.
The Adani Group holds a 74 percent share, while the remaining 26 percent is with the Maharashtra government’s City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). “The second airport of Maha Mumbai — Navi Mumbai International Airport — will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8,” said CIDCO Vice Chairman and Managing Director Vijay Singhal after a press briefing.
Navi Mumbai Airport code – NMI
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has given the Navi Mumbai Airport the code ‘NMI’. Domestic airlines like Air India Group, IndiGo, and Akasa Air have announced plans to shift part of their operations to the new airport.
The new airport spans 1,160 hectares and will later have four terminals with a capacity to handle 90 million passengers annually and 3.25 million metric tonnes of cargo. This will make it one of the largest aviation hubs in Asia. “For now, terminal one has been completed. It can manage 20 million passengers per year, 0.8 million metric tonnes of cargo, and has one runway,” Singhal said.
Passenger capacity to increase
At present, Mumbai International Airport handles about 55 million passengers every year. Once NMIA is fully functional, both airports together will be able to handle nearly 150 million passengers annually. Singhal also mentioned that while Rs 19,647 crore has been used for Phase 1, the total cost for completing all four terminals is likely to touch Rs 1 lakh crore.
Navi Mumbai International Airport will also be the first in the country to have connectivity through expressways, highways, metro routes, suburban trains, and even water taxis. “This will also be a green airport with storage facilities for sustainable aviation fuel,” Singhal said. He added that the airport will include an Automated Passenger People Mover system to link all four terminals internally.