Union Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, MoS Murlidhar Mohol and Airports Adani Group Director Jeet Adani during the presentation of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) model, at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai, Saturday, July 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The new international airport in Navi Mumbai will be operational starting March 2025, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said on July 13.
The airport, which is currently under construction, has been named after the late Peasants and Workers Party of India leader Dinkar Balu Patil, after the Maharashtra government gave its nod in July 2022.
The D.B. Patil International Airport, along India’s first civil aviation airport at Juhu and the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, will be the third airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Mr. Mohol reviewed the construction progress on July 13 by visiting the site in Navi Mumbai. Speaking to reporters after his visit, Mr. Mohol said, “The airport will be operational in March 2025. The construction progress is as per schedule.” The construction is being undertaken by the concessionaire, Navi Mumbai International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited.
Earlier, the entire airport was to be operational in two phases, but the phases were later merged to match up with the deadline for the second phase, which now stands at March 2025.
As per official projections, the airport was expected to handle ten million passengers per annum (MPPA) from 2019 onwards and was brought up to 25 MPPA for 2023. As per present projections, the airport will handle 40 MPPA in 2027, and 60 MPPA by 2031.
The foundation stone for the project was laid in February 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but the construction commenced only in August 2021. There are also certain persons, affected by the project work, who await their compensation. “We ensure that those who have contributed with their land for the project will not remain displaced and will be adequately compensated,” Mr. Mohol, who represents the Pune Lok Sabha constituency, said.
