THE Indian Air Force (IAF) C295 transport aircraft on Friday successfully conducted an inaugural landing at the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NIMA). The C295 was traditionally welcomed by the cannon salute of the fire brigade and the Sukhoi 30 jets did a flypast over the southern runway of the airport. The function was attended by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohol, CIDCO Chairman Sanjay Shirsat, Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Barne and NCP MP Sunil Tatkare among others. The Chief Minister said the two phases of the airport which handles 20 million passengers annually will be operational in March 2025 with the starting of domestic flights and thereafter international flight operations will be launched. He further stated that the airport will ease the traffic congestion at the Mumbai International Airport adding that the two airports will be connected through metro as well as roads.

 

CM Shinde said the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NIMA) will also handle 2.6 million tonnes of cargo annually. It will have two 3,700 m long parallel runways and four passenger terminals with a total terminal area of one million sq m. “It will be India’s greenest airport with the potential to generate 36 MW of solar and wind energy. With four different terminals interconnected with each other, the passengers will have the option of an internal travel route to go from one terminal to another. It is India’s first multi-modal aviation hub connected by expressway, highways, two metro rail corridors, high-speed rails and tower taxied,” he added. The Chief Minister said that with the commissioning of the Atal Setu sea link and the upcoming airport, the Navi Mumbai and the adjoining areas will be completely transformed with the opening of a slew of development opportunities.

 

He said that the airport has the capacity to park 350 aircraft at a time. Also, this airport has four different terminals, and, since they are interconnected the passengers will have the option of an internal travel route to go from one terminal to another,’’ said the CM. Years of planning, investment and hard work, says Adani Group:AN INDIAN Air Force (IAF) large multi-role tactical airlift C-295 plane successfully touched down on the South runway of the Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) on Friday, marking a key moment in the Adani Group’s development of the greenfield airport. The work on the airport started in August 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and is scheduled to be operational in early 2025. “We are proud of the progress NMIAL has made. As Adani Airport Holdings Ltd’s first greenfield airport, NMIAL represents years of planning, investment and hard work,” said Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. “We are grateful to the Government of Maharashtra, the regulatory bodies including CIDCO and Airports Authority of India and all the other stakeholders who have come together to make this project possible,” Jeet Adani added. “This world-class airport will play a pivotal role in the region’s growth, serving as a crucial hub for travellers across the globe,” said Jeet Adani.