The Navi Mumbai International Airport, which was going to begin its operations in March, may take few days or weeks past its current deadline and open in the month of April.
Navi Mumbai Airport Likely to Open in April, Delayed Slightly Beyond March Deadline
This comes from one of the Adani Enterprises (AEL) executive, who said that the airport would be commissioned only in the first quarter of FY 2025-26, essentially in the April to June period.
As per the sources, the deadline of March 31 meant that even if the deadline is missed by a day, the inauguration shall technically fall into next financial year. As per a source “Even if it does get delayed, it will be a minor one and the airport will be commissioned in April”.
As per the spokesperson from Adani Airport Holdings, “There is no delay as of now in the opening of the Navi Mumbai airport as communicated to the state and central authorities.”
In the past decade, the Navi Mumbai airport project missed many deadlines. For instance, the then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that the airport would be commissioned before December 2019. The latest deadline of March 31 was announced early this year when former civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia visited the airport site.
Post that, in the month of October, Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde said the Navi Mumbai airport was expected to be ready before March. Shinde was at the airport site for the inaugural landing of an IAF flight on the Navi Mumbai runway.
Challenges in Meeting March Deadline for Navi Mumbai International Airport’s Commercial Operations
As per the aviaton sources, to deliver the March end deadline for the start of commercial flight operations would be a tough call. Though the runway is almost ready for the commercial flights, work on the construction of the terminal building is currently ongoing.
When it is commissioned, the Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd will launch operations with Phase 1 and 2 combined. The 2 lakh sq m Terminal 1 will have a capacity of handling two crore passengers per annum, double that of the original plan.
During its initial phase of operation, the airport will have a single 3.7 km runway and a full-length dual parallel taxiway. NMIA will be an integrated domestic-cum-international airport. It will have swing gates to allow aircraft to fly either domestic or international from the same gate. Airports Authority of India, which provides air navigation services, is planning “joint air space operations” for Mumbai and NMIA.
