Navi Mumbai International Airport To Be Inaugurated On May 15

The much-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is likely to be inaugurated on May 15. The work of the Navi Mumbai International Airport has been completed in collaboration with Adani Airport Holdings (AAHL) and the Maharashtra City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).

The airport is expected to significantly reduce the pressure on Mumbai's congested Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).

On Tuesday, February 25, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a detailed on-ground assessment of the airport's readiness.

The assessment team included Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Vipin Kumar, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) Regional Director Prakash Nikam and officials from AAHL and CIDCO. The objective of the assessment was to verify or monitor the airport's readiness for commercial operations.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, a DGCA official said, "The preparedness of NMIA was reviewed. The airport authorities have informed us that they will apply for all the necessary permissions by March 5, and we will proceed accordingly.”

NMIA has faced some challenges in the past. An IndiGo A320 aircraft landed on runway 08/26 during a commercial flight verification test on December 29.

The DGCA had said that there were some issues with the airport’s preparations. However, an inspection showed that 90 per cent of them have been rectified.

The airport operator will apply for an aerodrome licence on February 28. Once the application is submitted, the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) is expected to be approved by the DGCA by March 5 or 7. It is also likely to be published before April 30.

The new airport is set to transform Mumbai’s aviation sector. Initially, it is expected to serve 1 to 12 million passengers per year. This will include approximately 9 million domestic and 3 million international passengers.

The airport's Terminal 2 is designed to handle 30 million passengers per year, and is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2028.