 "Navi Mumbai airport test landing")
Navi Mumbai airport test landing | Credit: X
An Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Airbus C-295 touched down at the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL) on Friday (October 11) marking the official inaugural flight landing at the aerodrome.
The flight landing at the NMIAL comes as the state elections inch closer.
Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp
The IAF conducted the test on the runway spanning a length of 3.7 kilometres (kms) along with a low fly-by of a Sukhoi SU-30 in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Co-operation Murlidhar Mohol.
Shinde indicated that the airport would commence commercial operations before its expected timeline of March 2025.
“The airport in Navi Mumbai would ensure ease of travel for passengers and reduce congestion from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. We will aim for commercial operations before March 2025,” he said.
The NMIAL is expected to ease congestion of flights operating in and out of the financial capital. This would be the second airport to serve the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The NMIAL airport will have a capacity of handling 20 million passengers for the first two phases of operations.
Of the 20 million capacity in the initial phase, NMIAL is expected to fly 12 million passengers in the first year. Similarly, the capacity is set to grow to around 90 million passengers per year by 2032.
The entire construction of the airport is expected to be completed in five phases, with the first two phases now being operationalised with a timeline of March 2025.
The project is expected to cost around Rs 18,000 crore.
Meanwhile, it is the first airport in the country to have multi-modal connectivity. This includes a linkage to the project via road, rail and a metro system. In the near future, it is set to be connected via a waterway.
First Published: Oct 11 2024 | 2:32 PM IST
