Countdown To Launch: Navi Mumbai Airport's Construction Hits 60 Per Cent Completion, Likely To Open In December 2024

The Navi Mumbai airport, a long-anticipated project, is making significant progress with over 57 per cent of its construction completed, according to a spokesperson from the airport.

The spokesperson stated that the project is on track for a commercial launch by December 2024.

Key developments include the laying of nearly 2,800 metres of the 3,700-metre runway, with the remaining portion expected to be finished by the end of January after the flattening of a hillock on the site.

Construction activities for the terminal, ATC tower, and other buildings are currently underway.

In a bid to enhance connectivity, the Indian Oil Corporation is working on a common-use underground fuel pipeline from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust to the airport. The airport operator is also developing fuel facilities inside the terminal.

Contracts for crucial services such as baggage handling, x-ray machines, and aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicles have been finalised as part of the preparations for the upcoming launch.

"Navi Mumbai Airport International Pvt. Ltd. took charge of the construction in August 2021, and we are committed to completing the first and second phases to achieve commercial operations by December 2024," stated the spokesperson, reports Businessline.

Initially, the airport will have the capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually.

With a change in management, the Adani Group has been spearheading the project since 2021, taking over from the GVK Group. Despite challenges over the past four decades, including litigation and land acquisition delays, there is now a concerted effort to finish the project ahead of schedule.

The spokesperson highlighted that the airport will be built in five phases, and its four interconnected terminals are designed for efficient hub operations. "Our passenger terminals are crafted for convenient walking distances, blending traditional Indian ambience with futuristic elegance and functionality," added the spokesperson.

Second Airport In Mumbai

Mumbai — the financial capital of India, and the capital city of the state of Maharashtra, forms the largest urban centre within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

With a set of two cross runways, the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) at its peak handled 4.8 crore passengers per annum before Covid struck in March 2020.

NMIA, which will be the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), will address the capacity constraints at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

The new airport would shake up the demand-supply dynamics by adding 40 per cent more passenger handling capacity overnight to the MMR region.

Conceived in 1999, the work of Navi Mumbai airport started in 2017.

The project is being implemented by Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), which is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with equity participation of Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited and CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation), in 74:26 ratio.

In March 2022, Adani Enterprises achieved financial closure for the development of the greenfield project, with the public sector lender, State Bank of India (SBI), underwriting the entire debt requirement of Rs 12,770 crore for the project.

Adani Group is also looking to make Navi Mumbai International Airport, the most digitised airport in the world.

“We are creating a roadmap to make every single airport 4.0 with automation, AI (artificial intelligence), machine learning, metaverse,” said Arun Bansal, chief executive officer, of Adani Airport Holdings Limited.

Details

• Spread over an area of 11.4 km

• Two runways

• Four terminals, with a capacity to accommodate 42 aircraft

• Space for 5,500 car parking

• Connectivity through the 22-kilometre-long under-construction Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.