The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) is scheduled to be inaugurated on October 8, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani confirmed on Wednesday. The airport recently received its aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), clearing a key regulatory step ahead of operations.
The airport is being developed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), a joint venture where the Adani Group holds 74 per cent and the Maharashtra government’s CIDCO holds 26 per cent. The project is planned in five phases and, once fully operational, is expected to handle 90 million passengers and 3.2 million metric tonnes of cargo annually, positioning it as one of Asia’s largest aviation hubs.
During a site visit, Adani met with workers, engineers, artisans, firefighters, and security staff involved in the project. “I felt the pulse of a living wonder—a monument shaped by thousands of hands and hearts. When millions of flights take to the skies and billions walk through these halls, the spirit of these people will echo through every takeoff and every step. To them, I offer my deepest gratitude,” he said.
Strategically located, NMI is 14 km from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), 22 km from Taloja Industrial Area, 32 km from Thane, and 40 km from Bhiwandi, enhancing regional connectivity for passengers and cargo. The airport features a 3,700-metre runway, modern passenger terminals, and advanced air traffic control systems, designed to accommodate large commercial aircraft.
The airport is expected to relieve congestion at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and strengthen the region’s position as a global aviation and logistics hub. India currently has 162 operational airports, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The first phase of NMI is projected to handle 20 million passengers per year, with full-scale operations anticipated to support the rapid growth in air travel in Western India. |
