Mumbai to Get Its Third Airport on Artificial Island, Inspired by Hong Kong

India is planning to build its first offshore airport near Mumbai. The airport will be located on an artificial island next to the Vadhvan port. It will be about 125 kilometres from Mumbai’s current international airport. The project is part of the central government’s plan to modernise infrastructure.

As per a report by Bloomberg, the Maharashtra government, the Union environment and defence ministries gave initial approval last month. Authorities will soon begin feasibility studies with the Airports Authority of India. The study will determine the estimated investment cost. The project is expected to improve air traffic management and connectivity.

The new airport will be similar to Hong Kong International Airport and Kansai International Airport in Osaka. Both these airports are also built on artificial islands. Offshore location means there will be no need for land acquisition. However, passenger traffic will be required to justify the investment.

The airport will connect to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor. Two major highways, the Mumbai-Vadodara and New Delhi-Mumbai roads, will also be connected.

The proposed offshore airport will be the third in the region. Plans for a third airport near Mumbai are not new. In the past, a domestic airport was proposed in the Palghar district’s Kelva-Mahim or Dapchari areas. In 2013, Netherlands Airport Consultants suggested building an airport on reclaimed land near Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the second busiest airport in India after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. In October 2024, it handled 31.6 lakh domestic passengers and managed 900 flights daily. Experts say the airport is already operating at full capacity, leading to frequent delays. Air India also cited airport congestion as a reason for flight delays.

Large-scale infrastructure projects like offshore airports take years to complete. For example, China’s Dalian Jinzhou Bay International Airport, the world’s largest offshore airport, is not expected to be finished until 2035.