Sources said that the Navi Mumbai International Airport could begin operations in April. This would be a few weeks or days past its current deadline, which is the end of March. Adani Enterprises (AEL), a senior executive, was quoted in media reports as saying that the airport will be commissioned in the first quarter FY 2025-26. This is roughly the period between April and June.
Navi Mumbai airport sources have pointed out that even if the deadline of March 31 is missed by a single day, the airport’s inauguration will technically fall under the next financial period. “Even if there is a delay, it will only be minor and the airport will open in April,” said one source.
Adani Airport Holdings’ spokesperson said that there was no delay in the opening of Navi Mumbai Airport as it has been communicated to state and central authorities.
The Navi Mumbai airport project has missed many deadlines in the last decade. Devendra Fadnavis, the then chief Minister, had stated that the airport would open before December 2019. The latest deadline was March 31. This was announced by former civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia when she visited the airport site in early 2019.
In Oct, Ekanth Shinde, the chief minister of Navi Mumbai, said that the airport would be ready by March. Shinde was present at the airport for the first landing of an IAF aircraft on the Navi Mumbai runway.
Aviation sources said that meeting the deadline of March 31 for the start up of commercial flights would be a difficult call. Construction of the terminal is underway, even though the runway is nearly ready for commercial flight. The Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited will begin operations with both Phase 1 and 2. The 2 lakh sq m Terminal 1 can handle two crore passengers a year, double the original capacity.
In its first phase of operation, there will be a single 3.7 km long runway and a dual parallel taxiway that runs the full length. NMIA will be an integrated domestic-cum-international airport. The airport will have swing gates so that aircraft can fly domestically or internationally from the same gate. Airports Authority of India which provides air navigation service is planning “joint operations” between Mumbai and NMIA.
