Navi Mumbai airport ready for take off in May: A new flight path for the metropolis

NAVI MUMBAI: The Mumbai metropolitan region will finally get its second airport this summer, with domestic flights set to start from the Navi Mumbai airport by the end of May. International flights will begin in July during the monsoon, and winter will bring much-needed air traffic decongestion at the Mumbai airport, as the new airport shares its air traffic load. By the end of October, takeoff and landing time slots for around 150 flights will be relocated from the existing airport to the new one, said a Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) official. Around the same time, Mumbai airport’s domestic terminal 1 in Vile Parle is likely to be shut down for reconstruction.
“Indian carriers operating out of Mumbai airport’s terminals 1 and 2 will have to move a fraction of their flights to the Navi Mumbai airport starting from the airline winter schedule at the end of October,” said the official. Airlines will decide which of their flights to move to Navi Mumbai when planning their winter schedules, which run from the end of October to March 2026. The new airport will also see an organic growth in passenger traffic, expected to reach 2 to 3 million in its initial months alone, he added.
The mandatory Aerodrome license is expected soon, while the Aeronautical Information Publication is expected to be published on February 6. Seventy days from then, on April 17, a formal inauguration will be held. Domestic operations can begin anytime after April 17, according to the NMIA official. Currently, the deadline for the commencement of domestic operations is set for the second half of May. NMIAL officials also added that they have made a proposal to the state government to reduce the VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel from 18% to 1% for NMIAL.
With 150 flights being relocated, about 10 million, or one-fifth of Mumbai’s total passengers, will have to choose the Navi Mumbai airport in their travel itinerary. In a few months, when booking air tickets online, passengers will see a drop-down menu with two choices: ‘BOM’ for the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and ‘NMI’ for the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport. Similar to Goa’s two airports, passengers will choose between ‘GOI’ for the old Dabolim airport or ‘GOX’ for the new Mopa airport in North Goa. Unlike traveling between T2 and T1 of Mumbai airport, NMIA officials said they do not expect passengers with itineraries that require travel between the two airports. For example, a passenger who lands at Mumbai and has onward connectivity from Navi Mumbai airport would need to travel between the two airports. “Airline websites won’t provide that booking option, unless the passenger makes two different bookings with two separate PNRs,” the official said.
The big question now is whether the airport, which has missed many deadlines, will stick to the latest one. It has been a 25-year long wait for Mumbai—a time when airports across India expanded, added runways, flights, and passengers, while the space-starved, single-runway Mumbai airport had limited growth.
For now, work on the terminal building at the Navi Mumbai airport construction site is progressing rapidly. “By the end of this month, the entire airside will be ready, and the nose-in bays will be ready by the end of March. The terminal building is still under construction, with ceiling and façade work ongoing, but the baggage handling system is almost ready,” said the official. Jeet Adani, director of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), said: “We are proud of the progress NMIAL has made. As AAHL’s first greenfield airport, NMIAL represents years of planning, investment, and hard work. This world-class airport will play a pivotal role in the region’s growth, serving as a crucial hub for travellers across the globe.”
The Navi Mumbai T1 is expected to reach saturation point by mid-2026—possibly the shortest saturation time in the world for a greenfield airport terminal. The existing terminals at both airports will be expanded to handle growth until 2029, when T2 will be constructed in Navi Mumbai. But for now, all eyes are on the inauguration of the new airport, as Mumbai will finally get its second airport, making it a momentous year in the city’s history of air travel. Airlines did not respond to a query sent by TOI, but two major carriers said their NMIAL operations are in the planning stage.