The city that never sleeps keeps up its reputation—with a new airport opening in Navi Mumbai! Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani visited the site of the Navi Mumbai International Airport a few days before its inauguration to meet with employees who will be responsible for the project. He thanked "every hand that worked and every heart that cared" in an X post, calling the airport their creation. The father-son duo took to social media to address a post by Adani Airports director Jeet Adani, who had described his father's tour of the airport as a "deeply touching and humbling lesson in leadership" and expressed his gratitude to the people who had worked on its construction. Gautam Adani thanked construction workers, employees with disabilities, and others who contributed to the airport's development.
Why does Mumbai need a second airport?
Mumbai, a city that never sleeps, often experiences excessive congestion in the sky. Despite having only one runway, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has been operating at or near capacity for quite some time. However, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is about to write a new chapter in its aviation history. The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), a greenfield wonder that will reshape India's aviation landscape and improve connectivity in the region, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8. When completed, NMIA would rank among the world's busiest airports, accommodating 9 crore passengers per year. Initially, the airport will operate 400 flights per day, serving 2 crore passengers per annum. In the first month, operations will start slowly with 60 flights per day. Within six months, that number will increase to 240–300 flights per day.
All the details about the new airport
According to Jeet Adani, Director (Airports) at Adani Group, who spoke with TOI, NMIA plans to start operating domestic and international flights on Day One. Both types of flights will definitely start in October unless anything unexpected happens. With the ability to increase global routes based on demand, the anticipated ratio between domestic and international capacity is 4:1. NMIA aims to be India's "most well-connected" airport, despite possible initial connectivity problems. Plans for the future involve connecting to other modes of transportation, such as water, air, rail, and metro. Plus, right next to the airport, there's an aerocity in the works with hotels of all prices, so it'll be a great place to stay for business trips, vacations, and everything in between. Reducing congestion at CSMIA is only one of NMIA's benefits to the Mumbai region. It stands for a surge in the economy, the creation of new jobs, and a more secure place on the global stage. Decades in the making, this project will be crucial as India strives to become a worldwide aviation center.
India to get two airports this month
Did you think only Mumbai is lucky? Well, Delhi is all set to welcome a new airport as well! Noida International Airport (NIA) in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) and Navi Mumbai International Airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are the two new megaports that are scheduled to open this month in India. In a surprising turn of events, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has revealed that the long-awaited NIA will be launched on October 30th, after being originally scheduled to be opened on October 8th by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
New airports are under development to alleviate congestion at the country's two busiest airports and to accommodate the increasing number of passengers taking to the skies. In order for NMIA to begin operations, the aviation authority DGCA, has already issued an airport license. Much of the infrastructure at NIA in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, is already constructed, so they should acquire the crucial license very soon.
Airports have also begun to form partnerships with airlines. Air India Group, IndiGo, and Akasa Air all began operating out of NMIA last month. As the launch carrier, IndiGo inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Noida airport in November 2023. Akasa Air has also promised to establish a robust network starting from this point. Municipal Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) and Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) have formed a 74:26 joint venture known as NMIA. During the first of five stages of construction, the airport is anticipated to accommodate 20 million passengers per annually (MPPA) and process 0.5 million metric tons (MMT) of cargo. When completed, NMIA will be able to process 3.2 million tons of cargo per year and service 90 million passenger-day-avenues.
Noida International Airport is scheduled to start accepting flights 45 days after it is inaugurated. The initial airport phase, consisting of a single terminal and one runway, will be able to accommodate 12 million people per annum. We expect NIA to be able to handle 70 million passengers annually after the fourth phase is finished. The nearly $2 billion National Capital Region Airport (NIA) is poised to handle the region's heavy air traffic.
The development, building, and operation of the greenfield project are carried out by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a 100% subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG. The project, initially set to launch in September 2024 and later revised to mid-2025, has faced numerous delays