Navi Mumbai Airport Builds Wildlife-Safe Flight Zone
05 Sep 2025 CW Team
The upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), set to begin commercial operations later this year, is implementing a multi-pronged wildlife hazard management strategy that combines technology, habitat modification, and community engagement to ensure aviation safety.
Developed by Navi Mumbai Airport Limited (NMIAL), a special purpose vehicle comprising Adani Airports Holdings Limited and CIDCO, the 1,160-hectare greenfield project sits amid wetlands, mangroves, forests, and urban areas, making it imperative to establish robust wildlife deterrent systems.
The strategy is being lauded as a benchmark in urban aviation safety. In 2018, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) was engaged to conduct a 10-year bird survey in a 10-km radius around the airport. The study initially recorded 231 bird species, though numbers at the airport site itself have declined from 80 species to 26 by 2024.
To reduce risks, NMIAL undertook habitat modification, including the removal of invasive vegetation and diversion of the Ulwe River. Habitat mapping helped identify bird congregation zones, which were geo-tagged for targeted intervention.
In its pre-licensing phase, NMIAL appointed Birdgard India, a certified expert in Airport Wildlife Hazard Management, to assess risks within a 13-km radius. Measures include passive controls such as netting drains and a Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) integrated into the boundary wall.
“We have engineered the airport environment to be inherently unattractive to wildlife,” said an NMIAL official. A grid-based patrol system is managed by a trained wildlife management team, equipped with pyrotechnics and bird-scaring devices. Teams also manage stray animal relocation in partnership with the municipality and state forest departments.
Advanced GPS-based software enables real-time tracking and recording of wildlife activity, while night surveys enhance around-the-clock monitoring.
To streamline collaboration, the Aerodrome Environment Management Committee (AEMC) was formed in February. It enables coordination between airport authorities, municipalities, and local gram panchayats, oversees joint inspections, and supports NGO-led outreach initiatives, including monthly meetings, pamphlet distribution, and awareness sessions.
Despite the safety focus, environmentalists have raised concerns. “The airport site was once a thriving wetland surrounded by mangroves, mudflats, and forests,” noted Debi Goenka, Executive Trustee of Conservation Action Trust. He highlighted that the airport is located between the Thane Creek Ramsar site, Karnala Bird Sanctuary, and several wetlands, forming vital bird corridors.