Mumbai: The Indian Air Force (IAF) marked the first flight landing at newly-built Runway 26 at the new Navi Mumbai Airport on Friday. It was an Airbus C-295 that touched down on the runway at 12:15 pm. Shortly after, a Sukhoi SU-30 jet performed a low flypast, drawing applause from the crowd.
Though the runway has received its inaugural flight on October 11, commercial flights are scheduled to be operational by the end of March next year. The Navi Mumbai Airport will be the second airport serving the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Navi Mumbai Airport Phase 1
In Phase 1, the airport will have a single runway and a terminal inspired by the lotus flower. The terminal, designed to handle 20 million passengers a year, will cover 2 lakh square metres and be built to LEED Gold standards, a global green building certification, reported Times of India.
The event was attended by Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Inaugural landing of IAF C-295 takes place at Navi Mumbai International airport. The Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft landed at the airport for a trial run on the runway. CM Eknath Shinde and others present here.(Video: ANI/Maharashtra CMO) pic.twitter.com/4LtDGyfEQ6
— ANI (@ANI) October 11, 2024
During a previous visit, Scindia mentioned the government's plan for a "Gati Shakti model" that will provide multi-modal connectivity to the airport. The plan includes linking road, rail and metro to give a smooth and fast transportation to commuters. He added that the ministry has plan is store regarding water transport as well in near future.
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As of now, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the only air transport hub for the MMR. Once both airports are operational, the region could see around 1,500 flights daily. Navi Mumbai Airport will eventually have parallel runways, the first of its kind in the region. Other major airports, like those in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai, also have parallel runways.
Mumbai Airport was India's busiest until 2011, but growth slowed due to limited infrastructure, allowing Delhi to overtake it. From 2015 to 2018, while many Indian airports saw double-digit growth in domestic passenger traffic, Mumbai's growth was held back by infrastructure constraints.