MUMBAI: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicating to the nation the DB Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport, the largest greenfield airport in the country, which was in the making for the past two decades, has finally come to fruition. It will take at least two more months for commercial operations to begin with a capacity of 20 million in the first phase at the airport owned by the Adani group and the state planning body Cido.
Modi had laid the foundation stone for the Rs 19,650-crore project in February 2018. The airport will have an annual passenger handling capacity of 90 million with four terminals and two parallel runways on completion of the second phase, a timeline for which is yet to be finalised.
Launching the project, Modi said this will go a long way towards making Mumbai Asia's largest connectivity hub.
The upcoming Noida international airport will become the country’s largest when it reaches its full capacity of 120 million. The Noida facility is also ready for commissioning later this month.
The first phase has terminal 1 and runway 1 with 10 bus gates and 29 aero bridges and will have the capacity to handle 10 million passengers annually.
“The new airport will play a pivotal role in transforming travel and connectivity in Mumbai. The airport will also enhance economic opportunities by connecting farmers in Maharashtra to markets in the Middle East and Europe. Now Mumbai has a new airport, which will be Asia’s largest connectivity hub. Today, the city also has a fully underground metro to facilitate easy travel across Mumbai,” Modi said.
This greenfield airport will operate alongside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj international airport, reducing congestion and positioning Mumbai amongst the global cities with multiple airports.
The airport will initially manage 20-22 flights per hour, with provisions to expand this capacity the following year. The first terminal is expected to reach its maximum operational capacity within 12-15 months of opening.
The aviation regulator DGCA granted the aerodrome licence to the airport on September 30.
The terminal features extensive facilities including 66 check-in points, 22 self-service baggage drop stations, 29 passenger boarding bridges, and 10 gates for bus boarding.
The facility also houses purpose-built sections for express deliveries, high-value items, hazardous materials, and animal transportation.
It will also have a VVIP terminal by 2030 to cater to business leaders, celebrities and dignitaries.
The existing airport with a single runway is the busiest single-runway airport in the world handling over 60 million passengers annually. On an average, the Mumbai airport handles over 900 aircraft movements in a 24-hour operational cycle.
The airport, which features a futuristic design and eco-friendly innovations, will ease congestion at Mumbai's existing airport which has an annual capacity of 60 million.
Sprawling across a massive 1,160 hectares, the airport combines futuristic design, modern amenities, and eco-friendly innovations and is the first second city airport in the country.
Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the London-based firm behind Beijing Daxing international airport, the terminal draws inspiration from the lotus, the national flower.
Already IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air have confirmed that they will start flights from the new airport. The airport has been assigned the IATA code NMI, distinguishing it from Mumbai’s BOM.
Beyond convenience, NMIA is expected to decongest Mumbai’s main airport, cut travel times for nearby towns like Vashi, Alibaug, Thane and Lonavala, and provide a modern gateway for millions of passengers.
PM launches 33-km underground metro line
Meanwhile, Modi also inaugurated the last leg of the city’s first underground metro line—the 33.5-km (Metro Line-3) corridor connecting Cuffe Parade in the extreme south of the megapolis with Aarey Coloney in the north with 27 underground stations built at a cost of Rs 37,270 crore. The stretch opened today is the final 10.99-km stretch between Acharya Atre Chowk in central Mumbai and Cuffe Parade.
The line is built with Jica loans which come at 2% annual interest from the Japanese government.
Designed as the backbone of the city’s future transport network, the Line-3 links south Mumbai’s administrative and financial districts with the tony business district in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, the international airport and the export processing zone, SEEPZ. It is expected to carry 13 lakh passengers daily, reducing 6.65 lakh vehicle trips and saving 3.5 lakh litres of fuel every day, in addition to reducing congestion and emissions across the city.
On Thursday, Modi will host his visiting British counterpart Keir Starmer in Mumbai, where the two leaders will also attend the final leg of the three-day global fintech fest.