With the opening set in 2024, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is poised
to become the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, serving in
parallel as an alternative to Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
International Airport. The new airport aims to alleviate pressure on the city’s
existing airport, which currently serves nearly 45 million passengers per year.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport, in addition to enhancing regional
connectivity, will feature multiple transportation links. Among these, the
Mumbai Trans Harbor Link, a 22-kilometer-long sea bridge currently under
construction, will connect the airport to Mumbai’s mainland.
Anticipated benefits include driving economic development in the area,
generating fresh employment prospects, and attracting investments. It’s
noteworthy that the airport’s significance extends beyond Mumbai’s borders,
impacting neighbouring cities like Pune.
The new airport, currently under construction, is being developed in multiple
phases. The first phase, scheduled for completion by December 2024, includes the opening of the runway, enabling the airport to handle 20 million passengers annually.
The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2032, with a capacity to
handle 90 million passengers annually. Meanwhile, when it comes to freight,
Navi Mumbai airport will also have the ability to handle 2.5 million tonne of
cargo by 2032.
The airport will be situated approximately 35 km from Mumbai Airport and
offer parking for up to 5,500 vehicles. It will feature two runways and provide
parking spaces for 42 aircraft. The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be
spread over an area of 11.4 km.
The construction of the new airport was approved in 2017 and commenced in
2021. Adani Group is developing the airport in a joint venture with City and
Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco). The cost of this project is
estimated to be INR 16,700 crore (USD 2 billion).
The construction of the new airport has encountered several challenges. The
northern part of the airport site was characterised by swampy marine soil, which
had to be raised to prevent flooding. Additionally, another significant obstacle
during airport construction was a tall hill containing millions of cubic meters of
rock.
