Modi inaugurates Navi Mumbai international airport; flight operations from Dec
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The airport was developed over nearly three decades at a cost of Rs 19,650 cr for the phase 1. The commercial flight operations are set to begin in December.
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MUMBAI, Oct 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s new mega airport
in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, the second airport to serve Mumbai, one of world’s
most crowded cities. The lotus-inspired international airport was built by Adani
Group.
The phase one of the international airport now ready is built to handle 20
million passengers annually, taking the overload away from Mumbai’s existing
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, serving the Capital of the
State of Maharashtra, which currently handles a traffic of 54 million travellers
a year.
By 2032, the new airport will have four terminals with a capacity for 90 million
passengers a year.
Mumbai has joined the group of multi-airport hubs like London, New York and
Dubai.
Inaugurating the greenfield airport, a landmark for India’s infrastructure
and aviation landscape, Modi said, “In 2014, we only had 74 airports. Today,
we have more than 160."
The airport was developed over nearly three decades at a cost of Rs 19,650
cr for the phase 1.
Located in Ulwe, approximately 37 km from South Mumbai, NMIA spans 1,160 hectares
and is designed to handle up to 90 million passengers annually and 3.2 million
metric tonnes of cargo once fully operational. The first phase includes Terminal
1, capable of managing 20 million passengers and 0.8 million tonnes of cargo
per year.
The airport’s architecture, inspired by the lotus flower, features 12 sculptural
columns and 17 mega-columns engineered to withstand seismic shocks and heavy
loads. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the terminal blends modern aesthetics
with cultural symbolism.
The commercial flight operations are set to begin in December. Airlines such
as IndiGo, Akasa Air and Air India Express have already announced plans to operate
from NMIA. Initial operations will include 8–10 flights per morning, scaling
up to 20–30 flights per hour as demand grows. The airport will initially operate
for 12 hours daily, with international traffic expected to rise to 75% over
time.
The airport is accessible via seven major routes, including Atal Setu, Palm
Beach Road, Thane–Belapur Road, and the Airoli corridor. Travel time from Mumbai
ranges from 70 to 95 minutes, depending on the route. The nearest railway station,
Targhar, is built and awaiting inauguration, while a dedicated Mumbai–Navi Mumbai
Metro corridor is expected by 2029. Future plans include water taxis, automated
people movers, and the Gold Line metro connecting NMIA to CSMIA, ensuring multimodal
transport integration.
NMIA is India’s first fully digital airport, featuring AI-enabled baggage tracking,
online immigration, and pre-booked parking slots. It is expected to generate
over 200,000 jobs across aviation, logistics, hospitality, and IT sectors.
The airport’s launch has already spurred real estate growth in nearby areas
like Ulwe, Taloja, Panvel and Dronagiri, with property prices projected to rise
by 15–20% over the next few years.
NMIA aims to become a major international transit hub, rivaling Dubai and Singapore,
and is a key component of India’s multi-airport strategy for the Mumbai Metropolitan
Region.
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SELECTIONS FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
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(Today's headlines )
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Ailing Asiatic lion Pataudi too dies of bird flu at Kanpur zoo
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48 tourist destinations closed in Kashmir following Pahalgam terror attack
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