Construction work on the Navi Mumbai International Airport is underway at the necessary speed with the first trial landing scheduled to be conducted on its runway on October 5. Military transport aircraft C-130J and IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30 will be used for the runway trials next month.
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Key Features
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Domestic Operations at the airport are scheduled to begin by March 2025
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International operations will commence at the airport from June 2025
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The Navi Mumbai International Airport will enhance air connectivity across Western Maharashtra
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At 1,160 hectares, this new airport is being built at the cost of ₹19,646 crore.
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The runway of the airport has been designed on the theme of India’s national flower, Lotus.
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Once ready, the airport will have the capacity to handle up to 20 million passengers annually.
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Plans are underway to further expand the airport with a new Phase 3 in 2028-29, upgrading its capacity to 30 million passengers annually.
Making way for an upgrade at T1 of CSMI Airport
A few months after the Navi Mumbai International Airport commences operations in March 2025, Terminal 1 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will be demolished and replaced with a new terminal.
The Adani Group has announced that the demolition of CSMIA’s T1 is planned due to “safety and structural issues”. Furthermore, the redevelopment of the terminal is expected to take around three years.
Notably, the news regarding CSMIA T1’s demolition has caused apprehension among some flyers in Mumbai due to its unmatched convenience and connectivity.
