The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), currently under construction, is projected to reach its peak operational capacity in the first quarter of its operations, according to recent statements by Adani Enterprises, the leading company behind the project.
Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Adani Enterprises, expressed confidence in the project’s success, stating, “We are building the initial phase with a capacity for 20 million passengers. Given Mumbai’s travel patterns and the surrounding catchment area, we fully expect NMIA to hit peak capacity within the first quarter of operations.” This ambitious target highlights the strategic planning behind the airport’s development.
Scheduled to commence operations in March 2025—a slight delay from the original timeline—the INR 19,600 crore NMIA is expected to integrate seamlessly with the existing Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), also managed by Adani. They assured stakeholders that the new airport would not adversely affect traffic at MIAL. The airport’s construction progress includes a completed runway and ongoing terminal development, alongside necessary approvals for risk and disaster management. In July, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) completed a successful test of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at NMIA, a crucial component for precision landing approaches.
The airport’s future phases will see a capacity expansion to 90 million passengers and 2.6 million tonnes of cargo annually by 2031-32, positioning it as a significant hub compared to MIAL’s 55 million passenger capacity and Delhi airport’s 70 million for this year. NMIA will feature four passenger terminals, two parallel runways, and connectivity via National Highway 4B, the Sion-Panvel highway, and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. Future transportation links will include a rail connection, metro station, and waterway terminal. Notably, NMIA will introduce the country’s first automated people mover system to transport passengers between terminals.
This new greenfield airport will become the eighth addition to Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), which already manages 23% of India’s air traffic and caters to about 20% of the passenger base. AAHL aims to significantly expand its reach, targeting 400 million consumers—including non-passengers—by 2028, up from 200 million in 2024. This expansion reflects the growing demand for air travel and the strategic positioning of Adani’s airport ventures in meeting that demand.
