Key Points

The project will be implemented by the City and Industrial Development Corporation on a public-private partnership basis. It was also approved to declare the project an ambitious urban project. The cabinet also approved acquiring additional land along the route for commercial use and to give government-owned land under the route to CIDCO at a nominal rate.

The cabinet’s decision is crucial as the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is expected to be inaugurated by the end of September, but it will take about 45 days for operations to commence after that. The airport will add a new dimension of connectivity for people travelling to and from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The greenfield airport will become the second air hub for the region and transition Mumbai from a single-airport to a multi-modal aviation hub. It will not only decongest the current Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) but also provide a boost to economic activity in the region.

The project entails an investment of nearly Rs 20,000 crore with one common terminal for domestic and international operations and one of the two proposed runways. It will be capable of serving 20 million passengers per annum (MPPA), thereby enhancing the aviation capacity of the MMR. Phase 1 will have 42 aircraft stands — 29 contact and 13 remote — designed to handle 20 million passengers a year.

Further, the airport will have an ultra-fast baggage handling system that uses 360-degree barcode scanning for enhanced speed and accuracy. The baggage claim area is designed to be among the fastest in the world, and future phases will allow passengers to check in luggage within the city itself, enabling seamless, luggage-free airport transfers, said the government sources.

CM Fadnavis, who had visited the Navi Mumbai airport project in July, said, “The airport is progressing rapidly, with around 14,000 workers on-site. If needed, the workforce will be doubled to meet the deadline. Although the September 30 target is ambitious, we’ve aligned it with the Prime Minister’s availability for the inauguration.”

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the Navi Mumbai airport will be a game-changer for Maharashtra’s economic future. “Once operational, it will significantly decongest Mumbai airport and improve connectivity to Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Goa,” he said. He also added that once the missing link on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is completed, even Pune residents will be able to reach Navi Mumbai airport within an hour.

- IANS