Mumbai to Get 10,000 Water Taxis for New Airport

Mumbai, Jan 21 (PTI) Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said he has discussed a proposal for getting 10,000 water taxis to ferry people from the financial capital's distant suburbs to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport.

Speaking at the ICERP 2025 exhibition here, Gadkari suggested that he has already discussed the idea with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Gadkari said the water taxis can get people from suburbs like Virar located along the Arabian Sea to the north of the financial capital, and Kalyan-Dombivali on the northeast along the Thane Creek, to the new airport in 70 minutes.

"Taking from all side of Mumbai, from Vasai-Virar to Kalyan-Dombivali, it (water taxis) can connect to new airport in 70 minutes. Already I have discussed the proposal with the CM. We need 10,000 water taxis in Mumbai," he said.

Passenger flights from the new airport are slated to start from April next year. Plans are afoot to connect the new airport with metro rail in order to facilitate passenger movement.

Gadkari said all 10,000 water taxis can be built using the futuristic fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) material which has a lot of relevance in the shipping industry, and urged entities to reduce the cost of the material.