The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is poised to become operational by April 17, 2025, marking a significant leap in aviation infrastructure for India. On Sunday, an IndiGo A320 aircraft successfully landed at runway 08/26 of the under-construction airport, achieving a key milestone required to obtain the aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Speaking after the trial landing, Arun Bansal, CEO of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), shared the ambitious timeline for the project. “Our aim is to inaugurate the airport commercially on April 17. Domestic operations are expected to begin in the second half of May, followed by international flights by the end of July,” Bansal said.
NMIA is a joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), which holds a 74% stake, and the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), which holds 26%. Developed with an investment of ₹16,700 crore, the facility is designed to reduce the burden on the already congested Mumbai Airport and accommodate the surging demand for air travel in the region.
The airport will feature two runways and four terminals, with the capacity to handle 90 million passengers annually once all five project phases are completed. Phase one, however, will include just one runway and a terminal capable of managing 20 million passengers per year.
The successful trial flight marked the completion of a critical validation process for NMIA. The IndiGo aircraft landed at 1:32 p.m. and was greeted with a ceremonial water salute from two Crash Fire Tenders (CFTs). This milestone validates the Instrument Approach Procedures and sets the stage for DGCA approval.
“This is a momentous day for Navi Mumbai International Airport,” Bansal remarked. “The validation flight brings us one step closer to operational readiness while keeping safety at the forefront.” In preparation for this step, NMIA had earlier completed flight calibration of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), ensuring precision in landing operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for NMIA in February 2018. Once operational, it will complement the existing Mumbai Airport, which currently handles approximately 50 million passengers annually despite its single-runway limitation.
“With the current demand in the Mumbai region exceeding 60-65 million passengers annually, NMIA will capture the unmet growth in air traffic,” Bansal stated. However, he acknowledged that terminal capacity would remain a bottleneck initially, as the first terminal is capped at 20 million passengers.
Construction of the second terminal, which will add a capacity of 30 million passengers annually, is already underway and is slated for completion by March 2028. By December 2025, the airport aims to manage 10-12 million passengers annually, ramping up to 20 million passengers by mid-2026.
Bansal indicated that while airlines are eager to shift operations to NMIA, they are unlikely to move entirely from the existing Mumbai Airport. “Most domestic airlines are large enough to split their operations between the two airports, ensuring capacity utilization across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region,” he explained. Each runway at NMIA will be capable of handling 50 air traffic movements per hour, ensuring operational efficiency.
The airport is expected to be a game-changer for the region, reducing congestion at Mumbai Airport and providing a boost to tourism and trade.
