Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is set to be commissioned in April next year, with the facility expected to be inaugurated on April 17, Adani Group announced on Sunday.
The announcement came after Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), the private airport operator, successfully conducted the landing of a commercial aircraft at runway 08/26. This test was carried out three months after a similar exercise with an Indian Air Force transporter aircraft on the same runway.
NMIAL is a joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), which holds a 74% stake, and City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO), which holds a 26% stake.
“This is a momentous day for Navi Mumbai International Airport. The successful completion of the validation flight is a major milestone, and we are now one step closer to operationalising the airport, prioritising safety at every step,” said Arun Bansal, CEO of AAHL.
Bansal described the validation flight, operated by an IndiGo A320 aircraft, as a success. He added that the new airport would not only offer world-class aviation facilities but also contribute to the overall development of the region.
With the completion of the passenger aircraft trial landing, NMIAL can now apply for the airport license, allowing it to begin commercial flight services. The aircraft was welcomed with a traditional water salute by two Crash Fire Tenders (CFT) at NMIA.
Bansal stated that the company aims to inaugurate the new airport on April 17. It is a coincidence that the upcoming airport at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh also plans to begin operations on the same date.
Once operational, Navi Mumbai International Airport will be the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, and is intended to ease congestion at the existing airport and meet growing air travel demand.
Spanning 1,160 acres, the project has an estimated cost of ₹16,700 crore and will feature two runways positioned 1.55 kilometers apart. Bansal mentioned that domestic operations will begin in mid-May 2025, with international services expected to start by the end of July. “We are in talks with both domestic and international airlines,” he said.
Mumbai’s airport is currently handling around 50 million passengers per year, but demand has surpassed 60-65 million annually. As a result, 15 million passengers from the region are traveling to nearby states or other airports. “Navi Mumbai Airport will help meet that demand. Airlines are eager to move to the new airport, and we will be able to capture the additional passenger growth in Mumbai,” Bansal explained.
CIDCO Managing Director Vijay Singhal confirmed that one runway at the new airport is already completed, while the terminal building is 83-84% finished. He expressed confidence that the airport will be operational by April 17.
Once operational, the Navi Mumbai International Airport will have an initial capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually.
Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) took a significant step towards becoming operational with its first commercial trial flight, which confirmed the synchronised functioning of Instrument Approach Procedures at the airport.
The exercise included technical assessments, as well as landing and take-off maneuvers. This will allow the DGCA to validate the data collected and grant the airport an aerodrome license, which is essential for operations.
Following the successful landing, NMIA’s flight procedures will be published in the Electronic Aeronautical Information Publication (eAIP) for international promulgation.
Before this, NMIA successfully carried out flight calibration of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), preparing for the validation flight and the development of instrument approach procedures.
