Navi Mumbai, Dec 24: International passenger flights from the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) are expected to commence by the end of March, with international cargo operations being launched simultaneously, CIDCO Managing Director Vijay Singhal said on Wednesday.
Airfare parity proposal under process
Addressing a press conference at CIDCO Bhavan, Singhal said that as NMIA is a greenfield airport, airfares are currently slightly higher compared to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
“The operators have proposed maintaining the same fare structure at both airports, to which the Central government has already given a no-objection. The same proposal has been forwarded to the state government, and once its no-objection is received, the proposal will be sent to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) for approval,” he said. Speaking about the naming of the airport after DB Patil, he said that the proposal is with the central government.
Cargo operations and capacity expansion plans
Cargo operations will commence alongside passenger services. In the current phase, the airport’s cargo handling capacity stands at 0.8 million metric tonnes annually, which will be scaled up to 3.2 million metric tonnes in the final phase.
In the first phase, Terminal 1 has an annual passenger handling capacity of one crore. Once fully operational, NMIA is projected to handle nearly nine crore passengers every year.
Feasibility study for third runway
Singhal said CIDCO has invited tenders to appoint a consultant for preparing a feasibility report for a proposed third runway. “Both financial and technical feasibility will be studied. If the proposal moves ahead, an additional 45 million passengers per annum can be accommodated,” he said.
Connectivity infrastructure taking shape
Highlighting connectivity, Singhal said the airport will be seamlessly linked through major infrastructure projects, including the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL).
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A dedicated approach road from Chirle to the airport has been developed and is now reflected on Google Maps. Work on the six-kilometre Ulwe Coastal Road is also underway and is expected to be completed by June, ensuring smooth access to the airport from multiple directions.
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