Navi Mumbai Airport Inauguration: CIDCO Reviews Progress

Thane, Apr 19 (PTI) The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) on Saturday reviewed the progress of the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport ahead of its inauguration, which is expected to take place in June, a release said.


Chaired by CIDCO vice chairman and managing director Vijay Singh and attended by all stakeholders including Adani Airport Holdings Ltd's Director Jeet Adani along with the company's other senior executives, the meeting focused on the operational readiness of the airport as it moves closer to its inaugural phase of operations, it said.



Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil aviation has already issued the mandatory Airport Information Publication (AIP) to the new facility while inspections by the DGCA team are underway for granting the Aerodrome License, CIDCO said in the release.



Noting the meeting emphasised completing the airside, landside, and terminal infrastructure to facilitate the inauguration and subsequent commercial operations, CIDCO concessionaire Adani Group assured that all stakeholders are working diligently to meet the set deadlines, it said.



Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd, the special purpose vehicle which is developing the airport, on its part confirmed that the work related to the airside infrastructure has been fully completed while the process to secure aerodrome licensing from the DGCA and security clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) are progressing.



Additionally, ORAT (Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer) trials are being conducted regularly to test systems, logistics, and coordination among various agencies.



It also said that several airlines have already submitted requests for flight slots, and the DGCA committee is expected to finalize slot allocations shortly.



Besides this, the meeting also reviewed connectivity to the new airport, CIDCO said.



The landside access infrastructure, being developed jointly by CIDCO and NHAI, is critical for smooth passenger and cargo movement, it said, adding that Singhal instructed all relevant agencies to expedite the completion of approach roads and access facilities well before the airport's proposed inauguration.



CIDCO said it has been holding fortnightly progress review meetings to ensure oversight and timely completion of the project.



The Navi Mumbai International Airport, a greenfield airport being developed in phases, will eventually have the capacity to handle 90 million passengers and 3.2 million tonnes of cargo annually. In its Phase 1, the airport is set to handle 20 million passengers and 0.8 million tonnes of cargo annually. This phase will include a Code-F compliant runway with double parallel taxiways, a Terminal (T1), cargo terminals, and a suite of modern aviation infrastructure.



With Phase 1 nearing completion and regulatory processes progressing as planned, NMIA is poised to emerge as a critical aviation hub, easing the burden on Mumbai's existing airport and boosting regional economic growth.