Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) will roll out dedicated air-conditioned shuttle bus services to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport from Thursday morning, creating the first formal public transport connectivity to the new terminal.

According to reports, the services will commence at 6 am with an initial fleet of 14 AC buses operating across five direct routes. The initiative is aimed at providing seamless last-mile connectivity between the airport and key suburban railway stations in Navi Mumbai.

Passengers travelling by train will also be able to access the airport via Targhar railway station on the Belapur–Nerul–Uran suburban corridor, located around 1.5 km from the terminal entrance. Central Railway had opened Targhar and the adjacent Gavan stations on December 15, ahead of the airport’s commissioning, to facilitate smoother access for commuters and air travellers.

Under the new plan, one shuttle route will operate from Belapur railway station to the airport, while another will connect Nerul station. The third route will link Targhar station, the fourth will run from Kharkopar station, and the fifth will connect Khandeshwar station with the airport terminal. These routes are designed to integrate rail and road transport, enabling a direct transition from suburban trains to air travel.

NMMT officials said the buses are expected to operate at intervals ranging from 17 to 22 minutes, depending on the route, with station-to-airport distances between 1.5 km and 6 km. Initially, services will be available during normal flight operation hours and will be extended as airport operations scale up.

Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Kailas Shinde said additional NMMT services will be introduced in phases based on passenger demand. NMMT General Manager Yogesh Kaduskar also confirmed that the fleet strength will be increased over time.

Ahead of the launch, NMMT teams surveyed terminal access points and conducted trial runs on Wednesday to finalise operational logistics.

News source: Swarajya