Navi Mumbai airport to start operations on this date
What's the story
The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will start commercial flight operations from December 25. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the facility on October 8. Built over 1,160 hectares by Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), NMIA is designed to have two runways and a capacity of handling nine crore passengers annually in the long run.
Airline schedules
Akasa Air and IndiGo announce flight operations
Akasa Air has already opened bookings for its flights from NMIA, with its first flight from Delhi landing on December 25. The airline will also connect Navi Mumbai to Goa, Kochi, and Ahmedabad. IndiGo will start operations on the same day with domestic services to 10 cities including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mangalore.
Airport access
NMIA's strategic location and connectivity
Located in Ulwe, the airport is well-connected through several road corridors such as the Eastern Expressway and Sion-Panvel Highway. Travel time to NMIA from South Mumbai is expected to be between 1-1.5 hours depending on traffic. The Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 also enhances last-mile connectivity within the region.
Eco-friendly airport
NMIA's sustainable design and future plans
The airport has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects with a lotus-inspired architecture. It has features like Sustainable Aviation Fuel storage and solar power generation. In the long term, NMIA aims to handle up to 90 million passengers annually and become India's largest Greenfield airport project under Public-Private Partnership (PPP).