MUMBAI: A day after stating in Nagpur that the Navi Mumbai airport would be operational by end of December this year, civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said commercial operationalization of Navi Mumbai airport is expected by March 31, 2025.
On Saturday, Scindia visited the airport construction site and said though efforts are on to launch airline flight operations by December, end of March 2025 would be a “realistic projection with a surprise in its cache if it (airport) is completed before time.”
He said, “Up to 55-60% of the physical and financial progress has been completed…In the first and the second phase that will begin together, one runway, one terminal and a passenger capacity of two crore per annum will be created. The second runway, four terminals along with a total passenger capacity of nine crore per annum, will be created in Phase 3, 4 and 5,” he said.
A source said, “The various trial flights will begin by October this year and we expect construction activity to be completed by December. Thereafter, the process of getting approvals and certification from civil aviation authorities will continue and by March end, we hope to begin commercial operations.”
Among the crucial work that will be undertaken in the next four months is completion of construction work on the 3,700 m long runway 08-26. “Currently, 2800 m-long runway has been built. Cidco is razing the remaining portion of a hillock that lies close to the runway. Once that is complete, the remaining 900 m will be constructed — work that can be completed in four months. We expect the runway construction work to be completed by May, before monsoon,” the source said.
“We’re looking at a Gati Shakti model with multi-modal connectivity,” Scindia said, adding that the airport will have road, rail and metro connectivity with future plans of water connectivity as well.
“Earlier, in the meeting he held with various stakeholders, Scindia ordered Cidco officials to speed up work on the Ulwe coastal highway,” said a source. The highway connects to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link at the Nhava Sheva end, allowing a faster access to the Navi Mumbai airport.
Currently, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport with its two airline passenger terminals is the only air transport option for people from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It is the only urban agglomeration in the top ten most populated cities that is served by only one airport that functions out of a single runway, that is. When both the airports are operational, MMR would be served by about 1,500 flights a day, said a source.
The Mumbai airport was India’s busiest airport till 2011, when infrastructure constraints stifled its growth and Delhi overtook.
On Saturday, Scindia visited the airport construction site and said though efforts are on to launch airline flight operations by December, end of March 2025 would be a “realistic projection with a surprise in its cache if it (airport) is completed before time.”
He said, “Up to 55-60% of the physical and financial progress has been completed…In the first and the second phase that will begin together, one runway, one terminal and a passenger capacity of two crore per annum will be created. The second runway, four terminals along with a total passenger capacity of nine crore per annum, will be created in Phase 3, 4 and 5,” he said.
A source said, “The various trial flights will begin by October this year and we expect construction activity to be completed by December. Thereafter, the process of getting approvals and certification from civil aviation authorities will continue and by March end, we hope to begin commercial operations.”
Among the crucial work that will be undertaken in the next four months is completion of construction work on the 3,700 m long runway 08-26. “Currently, 2800 m-long runway has been built. Cidco is razing the remaining portion of a hillock that lies close to the runway. Once that is complete, the remaining 900 m will be constructed — work that can be completed in four months. We expect the runway construction work to be completed by May, before monsoon,” the source said.
“We’re looking at a Gati Shakti model with multi-modal connectivity,” Scindia said, adding that the airport will have road, rail and metro connectivity with future plans of water connectivity as well.
“Earlier, in the meeting he held with various stakeholders, Scindia ordered Cidco officials to speed up work on the Ulwe coastal highway,” said a source. The highway connects to the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link at the Nhava Sheva end, allowing a faster access to the Navi Mumbai airport.
Currently, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport with its two airline passenger terminals is the only air transport option for people from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It is the only urban agglomeration in the top ten most populated cities that is served by only one airport that functions out of a single runway, that is. When both the airports are operational, MMR would be served by about 1,500 flights a day, said a source.
The Mumbai airport was India’s busiest airport till 2011, when infrastructure constraints stifled its growth and Delhi overtook.