Navi Mumbai:

Costing an estimated Rs 17,000 crore and spearheaded by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), NMIA stands as one of India’s most ambitious greenfield infrastructure undertakings. Nestled in the Ulwe region of Navi Mumbai, the new facility is poised to ease pressure on the already-congested Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to officially inaugurate the long-anticipated Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) on 1 June, according to senior officials in Maharashtra’s state intelligence department, as quoted by a  report. But despite the high-profile launch, it may be some time before the airport sees its first commercial passengers.

Successful landing operations at Navi Mumbai International Airport

At that time, AAHL’s CEO Arun Bansal had confidently projected a May 2025 launch for commercial operations. However, that timeline was revised in March by Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani, who confirmed a delay to June. CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation), which owns a 26 per cent stake in the venture and is a government partner in the public-private project.

While the airport has made considerable headlines in recent months, most notably in October 2024, when an Indian Air Force C-295 transport aircraft completed the first official landing on its newly constructed runway, though it is yet to open for commercial service. IndiGo later conducted a successful validation flight using an Airbus A320 in December, with key stakeholders including officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), and other regulatory agencies in attendance.

Can operations at NMIA face further delays?

More recently, at the Routes Asia 2025 summit, NMIA Chief Operating Officer Prabhat Mahapatra indicated that full-fledged flight operations would likely commence between late July and early August. Yet insiders involved in the project remain cautious, warning that delays could still arise, as per FPJ inputs. Construction on parts of the terminal infrastructure reportedly remains incomplete.

Although airside facilities including the runways, taxiways, and aircraft aprons, have been completed, the airport is still waiting for vital clearances. It has yet to receive its aerodrome licence from the DGCA or final security approval from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). In preparation, the airport has already begun Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) trials, simulating real-time scenarios to test systems and ensure a smooth transition to live operations.

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