Navi Mumbai International Airport plans first trial landing for October 5, operations in June
Domestic operations at the airport are scheduled to begin in March 2025, followed by international operations in June 2025
Mumbai: The proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is set to conduct its first trial landing of an aircraft on October 5, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to attend. Domestic operations at the airport are scheduled to begin in March 2025, followed by international operations in June 2025.
Sanjay Shirsat, the newly appointed chairman of City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), inspected the airport site on Tuesday. He was accompanied by CIDCO vice chairman and managing director Vijay Singhal, along with officials from the Adani group, which is constructing the airport through Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd. CIDCO holds a 25% stake in the project.
After assessing the progress, Shirsat addressed the media, stating, "The airport construction work is progressing at a satisfactory pace to meet our targets. On October 5, an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft will land at the airport for a trial run on the runway. We plan to conduct the trial in the presence of the PM. All necessary arrangements are being made with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde himself looking into it."
He added, "Once the test landing is conducted successfully, we will start the domestic airport from March 2025. From June onwards we will start international flights from the airport."
The NMIA project, long in the making and estimated to cost over ₹16,700 crore, is finally on track to commence operations from the planned March 2025 target. Last month, the Airport Authority of India completed Instrument Landing System (ILS) testing, which calibrates the flight path to ensure the operational readiness of the airport. Following the ILS test, a report was submitted to prepare the instrument approach procedure, which will be followed by licensing of NMIA after conducting further tests and obtaining requisite permissions to make the runway operational.
Shirsat emphasised the project's significance, saying, “This is going to be a game changer project for Navi Mumbai. There will be 4 inter-connected terminals with 350 aircraft parking facilities along with metro, rail and road connectivity from all sides.”