NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator DGCA has granted the aerodrome licence to Navi Mumbai International Airport. The airport is all set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in early October.
"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," operator Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) said in a statement on Tuesday.
It added, “The achievement represents a key step in NMIA's progress towards becoming fully operational. With the Aerodrome Licence now in place, NMIA moves closer to its vision of enhancing regional and international connectivity and establishing a modern gateway that will link Navi Mumbai with the rest of the world.”
NMIA will be the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The airport is a 74:26 joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) and City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO).
Last week, Air India Express had said that it will operate 20 daily departures or 40 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) from and to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) connecting 15 Indian cities. Air India Group will scale up to 55 daily departures (110 ATMs) by mid-2026, including up to 5 daily international flights from NMIA. Earlier, IndiGo and Akasa Air had committed launching operations from NMIA.
The new airport is being built in five phases, with the launch phase expected to accommodate 20 million passengers per annum (MPPA) and handle 0.5 million metric tons (MMT) of cargo. Upon full completion, NMIA will have the capacity to serve 90 MPPA and handle 3.2 MMT of cargo annually.