Navi Mumbai International Airport to start flight operations after month of inauguration in April

In a significant development, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is set to start flight operations after the inauguration. The inauguration of the airport will be held in April this year. The international flights are also supposed to start after that. The flight commencement at the airport would reduce the pressure of rising passenger traffic on Mumbai International Airport.

Earlier on December 29, the airport conducted its first flight test. During the test, an IndiGo A320 passenger aircraft landed successfully at runway 26/08 of the airport, paving the way for securing an aerodrome licence to start commercial operations. As per tradition, the IndiGo aircraft got a water cannon salute after landing successfully. 

In February 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the airport It is coming up at an investment of Rs 16,700 crore with an aim to reduce the congestion at the capacity-constrained Mumbai Airport along with meeting the soaring demand for air travel in the country.

The facility will have two runways and four terminals with a capacity to cater to 90 million passengers per annum once all five phases of the project are completed. The first and second phases will have one runway and one terminal building. The subsequent phases 3, 4, and 5 will introduce a second runway, four additional terminals, and an increased passenger capacity of 90 million.