Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday inaugurate the first phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) — a Rs 19,650 crore Greenfield project that marks a major boost to India’s aviation infrastructure. NMIA will operate alongside Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to ease congestion and position the city among global multi-airport hubs.
NMIA, which has been developed under a Public–Private Partnership model and is India’s largest Greenfield airport project to date, spans 1,160 hectares and is projected to handle up to 90 million passengers per annum and process 3.25 million metric tonnes of cargo annually.
The Prime Minister will first undertake a walkthrough of the newly-built airport, and will inaugurate it at around 3.30 pm.
Domestic flight operations from NMIA are scheduled to begin soon, with international routes expected to commence by December. The airport features four terminals and two parallel runways.
Additionally, a dedicated VVIP terminal for high-profile travelers is planned, with construction beginning in 2026 and completion targeted for 2030.
The terminal design, conceptualised by the London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, draws inspiration from the lotus flower. The airport will also showcase art reflecting Maharashtra’s history and culture.
Among the airport’s unique features is an Automated People Mover, a transit system to connect all four terminals, streamlining passenger transfer within the campus.
The facility also includes storage for Sustainable Aviation Fuel, solar power generation with a capacity of around 47 MW, and electric bus services to boost public transport. NMIA is set to become the first airport in India linked by a water taxi service.
IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air have already confirmed to launch flight operations from the new airport, which also aims to become India’s first fully digital facility, offering paperless operations, digital boarding passes, and a dedicated app for real-time travel updates.
Meanwhile, the airport will be named after the late Dinkar Balu Patil, as stated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Patil is credited for ensuring that project-affected persons in the region received rightful compensation when the planned city of Navi Mumbai came up.
The naming proposal was first introduced by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
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