The Navi Mumbai International Airport is an under-construction airport at Ulwe, Navi Mumbai. Officially named the DB Patil Navi Mumbai Airport, the project is being developed by the Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL). It is located in east Mumbai in the Raigad District and is around 18 km from Ulwe and Panvel.
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Key facts
| Official name | DB Patil Navi Mumbai 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 |
| Expected operation date | Phase-I is expected to be operational from end of July or early August, 2025 |
When will the Navi Mumbai International Airport be inaugurated?
According to a FPJ report, the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. may be inaugurated on June 1, 2025 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, even after the inauguration, the commercial operations in the airport may kick off only in late July or early August, 2025. The NMIA will initially start with domestic operations. As part of the trails, the NMIA sees landing and taking of flights on a daily basis.
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 74% of the stake in the airport, Cidco has 26% stake.
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
Navi Mumbai International Airport architect
- 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 terminal buildings will include food courts, lounges, travelators and other facilities for passengers.
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.
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Connectivity
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. There are plans to provide water connectivity going forward.
The Navi Mumbai Airport will be connected:
By road
In three directions – NH 4B (348), the Sion-Panvel Highway and through the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.
By rail
The airport will be connected to rail by Targhar Railway Station. 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 Airport Expressline 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 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 was developed by Cidco and were launched to provide connectivity from Nerul jetty to South Mumbai, it didn’t see much people 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.
Navi Mumbai International Airport: Features
- With the development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Mumbai will be the first city in India to have two operational international airports.
- 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 and air side.
- The airport will be an eco-friendly airport. Onsite solar energy will be generated and only electric vehicles will be used here.
- By 2032, the Navi Mumbai International Airport will handle 0.25 crore tonne of cargo and over 9 crore passengers.
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 real estate price correction.
A case in point is that of Ulwe. When the location was first introduced residential wise 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 didn’t see the presence of any reputed developers here and with RERA also not implemented by then, 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. 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 1000 crore + 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.
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 in this area 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 Airport construction start operations?
According to reports, the Navi Mumbai International Airport may start operations by May 15, 2025.
Which is the biggest airport in India?
The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is the biggest airport in India.
(Featured image: GVK)
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you. Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |
