Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will be operational by March 2025.
Mohol said that about 70 percent of the construction work at NMIA has already been completed, which was to be completed by December 2024. The remaining 30% is expected to be completed by March 2025.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport is spread over 1,160 acres and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 16,700 crore. Two runways will be built at a distance of 1.55 km.
The second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), NMIA, will address capacity constraints.
The new airport will change the demand-supply dynamics by creating 40 percent more passenger handling capacity in the MMR region overnight. The Navi Mumbai airport, built in 1999, began service in 2017.
Pune Airport Expansion Plans
Mohol, on his first visit to Pune after assuming charge, also discussed plans to expand the Pune airport. These plans include improvements to accommodate wide-body aircraft, which will give Pune crucial connectivity to foreign countries, Financial Express reported.
Mohol held a meeting with Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials aimed at reviewing expansion plans and resolving the delay in the inauguration of a new terminal at the Pune airport.
Mohol said the runway at Pune airport, which can currently handle only Type C aircraft, will be expanded to also allow Type B and D aircraft to operate. The expansion will require 35 acres of private and defence land.
The terminal building constructed at a cost of Rs 475 crore at Pune airport is yet to become operational because of a shortage of security staff and pending regulatory clearances from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security.
Also, Mohol informed that the Purandar site has been approved by the Director General of Civil Aviation as Pune’s new greenfield international airport. After getting all the technical clearances, the process of land acquisition at Purandar airport will begin soon.
Air travel infrastructure and connectivity in Maharashtra are expected to improve significantly with these developments.
