One of the most awaited infrastructure projects of Maharashtra, the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is being developed in five phases by the Adani group with the City Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco). This is one of the biggest airports in the country boasting twice the capacity of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and will be one of the busiest airports, with over 9 crore passengers and 0.25 crore tonne of cargo expected to be served per annum by 2032.
NMIA inaugurated
PM Modi took a walkthrough of the newly built Navi Mumbai International Airport. He then proceeded to inaugurate Phase -1 of the NMIA today- October 8, 2025. The PM will also inaugurate other infra projects like Mumbai Metro 2B and Mumbai Metro 3.
Modi tweeted:
On the way to Navi Mumbai to take part in the programme marking the inauguration of Phase-1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport. With this, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region will get its second major international airport, thus boosting commerce and connectivity. The final… pic.twitter.com/t6v82O6Een
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 8, 2025
NMIA to be named as Loknete DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the centre has approved the naming of the Navi Mumbai International Airport after the late Loknete Dinkar Balu (DB) Patil, a local farmer social activist who ensured that the farmers who gave their land for development of Navi Mumbai got fair compensation.
DGCA grants aerodrome licence to the Navi Mumbai International Airport
The Navi Mumbai International Airport has been awarded the aerodrome licence. According to media reports, in a statement, the NMIAL said, “Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) marks a significant milestone with the grant of its Aerodrome Licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The licence, awarded after meeting stringent safety and regulatory requirements, is an essential prerequisite for commencing operations.”
Navi Mumbai International Airport shape
Built on an area of 1,160 hectare of land, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is designed in the shape of a lotus and will be developed in phases. While GVK initially started work on this project, it exited the airport business by selling its shares to the Adani Airports Holdings Limited in 2021. The project is being developed by the Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) by Adani Airports Holdings Limited and Cidco. While the Adani Group has a 74% stake in the NMIA, the remaining 26% is with the Maharashtra government’s land development authority Cidco.
Where is the Navi Mumbai International Airport located?
The Navi Mumbai International Airport is a greenfield airport located at Ulwe, Navi Mumbai. Located in the Raigad District, the airport is around 18 km from Ulwe and Panvel. Navi Mumbai locations leading to the airport including Kharghar, Belapur CBD, etc. have signboards of directions towards Navi Mumbai International Airport placed in the city.
This airport was proposed with an intent to reduce the traffic load on the existing CSMIA. Once operations starts, this will be the second working airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Media reports mention that the CSMIA T1 Domestic Airport will shut its civilian operations.
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Key facts
| Official name | Loknete DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport |
| Location | Ulwe, Navi Mumbai |
| Phases | 5 |
| Area | 1,160 hectare |
| Developing agency | Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), an SPV by Adani Airports Holdings Limited and Cidco. |
| Other names | Navi Mumbai International Airport, New Mumbai Airport, Navi Mumbai Airport |
| Project cost | Rs 17,000 crore |
| Inauguration date | Phase-I is expected to be inaugurated on September 30, 2025 and operations to begin from November 2025 |
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Map
Source: PIB
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Project details
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on February 18, 2018, laid the foundation stone for the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
Structural details
- Apron area: 7,20,000 sqft
- Terminal area: 1,80,000 sqft
- Parking for 10 Code C aircraft
Two runways
Runway 08L/26R: 3,700 by 60 metre
Runway 08R/26L: 3,700 by 60 metre
Features of the Navi Mumbai International Airport
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Source: Bombaybubble Instagram
- The Navi Mumbai International Airport has been designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.
- The airport will have three interconnected terminal buildings shaped like a lotus.
- The airport is technologically advanced with devices that will ensure safe landing in poor weather conditions. The landing system is designed to tackle low-visibility during heavy rains.
- The airport has four gates and three main areas named Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie.
- The NMIA has 88 check-in counters that includes both staffed and self-check-in options.
- The terminal buildings will include food courts, lounges, travellators and other facilities for passengers.
- The airport boasts of the ultra-fast baggage handling system that uses 360-degree barcode scanning. This will ensure accuracy and speed. Also, future phases of the airport are planned in such a way that passengers can check in luggage within the city itself, which will help ensure seamless, luggage-free airport transfers.
- The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be the first airport in the country with automated passenger movement within its 1,600 hectares for 10 km each on the city-side and air side.
- The airport will be an eco-friendly airport. On-site solar energy will be generated and only electric vehicles will be used here.
The NMIA is also known as an anxiety free airport because of the high-end digital features used that will up the convenience quotient. According to a HT report, “The digital features that cut waiting times and add convenience at every stage make it an “anxiety-free” airport, mentioned Arun Bansal, CEO of Adani Airports Holdings Limited (AAHL). “You will be able to get a message on your phone telling you, for example, that your bag is number 20 on the carousel,” he said.
How to reach Navi Mumbai International Airport?
Following the Prime Minister’s vision to create multimodal connectivity under the Gati Shakti Yojana, the Navi Mumbai International Airport will have road, rail and metro connectivity.
The airport was planned with dual entrances – from the East and the West, with connectivity through the expressway, suburban rail, metro and water transport.
By road
In three directions – NH 4B (348), the Sion-Panvel Highway and through the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.
The MSRTC is planning to start dedicated airport express buses from several locations in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and the surrounding areas to the NMIA.
Elevated corridor linking Thane and NMIA
The Maharashtra government on August 19, 2025 approved the construction of a 25-km-long elevated corridor to link Thane with the upcoming Navi Mumbai international airport.
By rail
The Harbour Line’s Panvel Railway Station is adjacent to NMIA. Also, the airport will be connected to rail by the Targhar Railway Station. The Targhar Suburban Railway Station is separated by a road from the Navi Mumbai International Airport. The railway station is designed as a transit oriented development with parking on the terrace, shuttle services to the airport, retail spaces and platforms for the train services. The Navi Mumbai International Airport may have a station on the 767-km Mumbai-Hyderabad High-Speed Rail (Bullet Train) project.
By metro
The Mumbai Metro Gold Line ( also known as the Airport Express line or Mumbai Metro Line 8) will help in easy connectivity between Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and the Navi Mumbai International Airport. The MMRDA has asked Cidco to come up with a detailed DPR for this line. The line will have a total of 8 stations with 6 stops in between and cover the entire distance in 30 minutes.
By water
Options are being explored to connect the airport through hovercraft from Colaba and through cargo from Raigad in Phase 2 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be the first airport in India that will be supported by water taxi services. While previously Water Taxis were developed by Cidco and were launched to provide connectivity from Nerul jetty to South Mumbai, it didn’t see much public acceptance. However, this time, Mumbai will have technical support from Kochi Water Metro project that is very popular down south and work towards providing connectivity to around major points in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad etc.
According to a Network 18 report, the Kerala-based Kochi Metro Rail Corporation Limited has surveyed Mumbai. On the basis of this, the Maharashtra Maritime Board has proposed a Water Metro project at an estimated cost of around Rs 2,500 crore. According to a News18 report, the study proposes construction of 29 terminals and has identified around 10 routes out of which a strategic route will be to the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
About Navi Mumbai International Airport operations
With Mumbai having two airports, passengers booking from Mumbai should look for the IATA issued code on their tickets to ensure they reach the right airport, as both airports are in two different directions of the city.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport will operate under the ‘NMI’ code.’ The Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) operates under the ‘BOM’ code.
Also, the regulator Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has permitted the levy of the user development fee (UDF) of up to Rs 1,225 at the Navi Mumbai International Airport on an ad-hoc basis for FY 25-26, mention media reports. Under this, passengers flying out from the NMIA will have to pay Rs 620 for domestic flights and Rs 1,225 for international flights as the User Development Fee (UDF). Passengers who are arriving at the NMIA have to pay Rs 270 for domestic flights and Rs 525 for international flights, mentioned the AERA order that ran to 42 pages.
The AERA will be allowing levy of the UDF until March 31, 2026 or till final determination of regular tariff, whichever is earlier. “The revenue to be collected by NMIAL on an ad-hoc basis in the interim period shall be accounted for by the authority during the regular tariff determination exercise of NMIA,” the order said.
Navi Mumbai International Airport to start with 12-hour operations
In order to test the stability of the systems and streamlining the working processes, the NMIA will initially work for a 12-hour shift and then gradually shift to a 24 hour shift. For the first two months, the airport will operate from 8 AM to 8 PM. Operations from the NMIA starts December 2026.
The NMIA will initially start with domestic operations. According to a News18 report, sale of tickets from the NMIA will start from October end 2025.
Indigo, Akasa Air and Air India will operate domestic flights from this airport from day 1 of operations. Air India Express will start commercial flight operations to more than 15 cities with 20 daily departures from the Navi Mumbai International Airport. The carrier will increase this to 55 daily departures by mid 2026 and this will also include five international stops.
International operations at this airport are expected to start in May 2026. Initially, plans are to start around 8-10 air traffic movements per hour which will be expanded to around 30 air traffic movements per hour by April 2026.
What is the estimated project cost of the Navi Mumbai International Airport?
The estimated project cost to develop the Navi Mumbai International Airport is around Rs 17,000 crore. The airport has been developed by Adani Airport Holdings and City And Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (Cidco). The Adani Group, together with the Cidco, formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) – the Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), the developing agency of the Navi Mumbai Airport. While Adani has a 74% of the stake in the airport, Cidco has 26% stake.
Problem areas near Navi Mumbai International Airport
One of the problem areas identified near the NMIA is the presence of illegal meat trade shops operating in Ulwe that is around 3km from the runway, mention media reports. This can lead to issues like bird hit in the engine. Meat shops attract large birds like kites, hawks etc. which accidentally can hit the engine of the aeroplane thus resulting in accidents. The DGCA has already issued several warnings in this regard.
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Project implementation stages
The airport construction started in August 2021. The Navi Mumbai Airport will be implemented in five phases. Phases 1 and 2 will begin with one runway, one terminal and a passenger capacity of two crore. Phases 3, 4 and 5 will include the second runway, four terminals and an increased passenger capacity of nine crore.
L&T Construction is responsible for Terminal 1’s construction, which started in November 2022. It includes a 3,700-metre runway, apron systems, taxiway systems and airfield ground lighting. L&T will be responsible for constructing supporting infrastructure, such as parking.
Pre-development work of Phase-2 to start October 2025
The pre-development work of Phase -2 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to start by October 2025, where a second terminal and an additional runway will be constructed to meet future expectations. This is expected to accommodate another 30-35 million passengers per year. The design of the second terminal will be based on the outcome of an architectural competition.
VVIP terminal to be built in Navi Mumbai International Airport
To be part of the third phase, the Navi Mumbai International Airport will have a VVIP terminal that will cater to celebrities and politicians. The construction of this terminal is expected to start in 2025 and finish by 2030. This terminal will also be designed as a general aviation hub for actors and business people. This is a USP of this airport as the VVIP terminal does not exist in the CSMIA.
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Real estate impact
Navi Mumbai, which was once constructed as a satellite city for Mumbai, has now become as big as the parent city. This is proven by the fact that it will soon have its own international airport. As a planned city, more nodes in Navi Mumbai are opening up with new infrastructure, such as the Navi Mumbai Metro and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, reducing the distance to any point in the MMR. With such growing advantages, the real estate market shows positive growth. Experts point out that once Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai Airport becomes operational, most places in the satellite city will see a surge in real estate prices.
A case in point is that of Ulwe. When the location was first introduced residentially maybe around 2011-12, Ulwe was not a very sought-after property destination because this node was not in line with the old harbour line network. The place had just a few developers who were working on projects that also only because of the announcement of the airport. However, people were still unsure if the airport would be constructed here or not. Also, the location lacked reputed developers, and since RERA hadn’t been implemented yet, it was a risky proposition for people to invest their hard-earned money in a location that didn’t actually show how it would change once it develops. However, today, the entire area has seen a sea change in demand. This is located close to the starting point of the MTHL and reaching South Mumbai is exactly or less than 20 minutes from here. “I bought my 2 BHK in Ulwe for Rs 38 lakh in 2015. Connectivity was not great at that time here, with even the harbour train starting only in 2018. However, in 10 years, this place has seen a great change, and today buying a property is beyond my means,” says Ujwal Sharma, a resident of Ulwe.
Similarly, on the other side you have the Navi Mumbai International Airport being developed, which will soon be operational. There is the Mumbai Pune Expressway in close vicinity that will add to the connectivity. News reports suggest that Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has acquired an industrial land parcel, spread over 5,286 acre that is located near Navi Mumbai Airport, JNPT and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. Similarly, Adani Realty is likely to launch a Rs 1,000 crore plus township near the airport. Developers, including Godrej Properties, Adani Realty, L&T Realty, Wadhwa Developers, Hiranandani, Kalpataru and Raheja, are increasingly expanding their presence in Navi Mumbai, gauging the demand that is set to come.
As the highly anticipated Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL) prepares for its inaugural launch on October 8, 2025, the demand for residential properties in the surrounding area has skyrocketed. Responding to this surge, in Phase 1, NMIAL has signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Wadhwa Group to secure 405 ready-to-move-in flats at its flagship integrated township Wadhwa Wise City, Panvel for airport personnel and families from October 2025. This collaboration is a testament to the symbiotic growth between large-scale infrastructure projects in the NAINA region and the real estate sector.
Cidco to develop 667-acre Navi Mumbai Aerocity near NMIA
Cidco is developing a 667-acre Navi Mumbai Aerocity near the soon-to-be inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport. The project will include allocation of land for residential real estate, commercial real estate, and retail spaces including shops, offices, and businesses. Media reports highlight that over 120 acres will be set aside for the above-mentioned development. Cidco has already called out tenders from consultants to design a detailed Master Plan. The Navi Mumbai Aerocity will be connected to other huge infrastructure projects in the satellite city including the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Navi Mumbai Metro, and the expanded harbour railway networks.
With this, Navi Mumbai will join the list of Aerocities in India that are being developed or already operational in India, including Ayodhya, Delhi, Devanahalli, Durgapur, Jewar, Mohali and Hyderabad.
Housing.com POV
With the Navi Mumbai International Airport becoming a reality, the infrastructure game of Navi Mumbai is growing strong. The city is seeing an influx of commercial properties with the hospitality industry especially showing greater presence. The Navi Mumbai International Airport, the MTHL, the Navi Mumbai Metro, connectivity to other parts of Mumbai through rail and road and water taxi will boost investment and lifestyle opportunities. Developers, including Godrej Properties, Adani Realty, L&T Realty and Raheja, are increasingly expanding their presence in Navi Mumbai, gauging the demand that is set to come. Finally, with news of plans to develop a Third Mumbai, the real estate market here is expected to surge further.
FAQs
Will Navi Mumbai airport have domestic flights?
According to CAPA India, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to connect 26 domestic and 13 foreign cities.
How many terminals will the Navi Mumbai Airport have?
Phases 1 and 2 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport will have one terminal and Phases 3, 4 and 5 will have four additional terminals.
Is the Navi Mumbai Airport domestic or international?
The Navi Mumbai Airport is an international airport and will connect foreign cities in addition to Indian destinations.
When will the Navi Mumbai International Airport be inaugurated ?
The Navi Mumbai International Airport will be inaugurated on October 8, 2025.
Which is the biggest airport in India?
The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is the biggest airport in India.
(Featured image: GVK)
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