Navi Mumbai Airport Licence Likely by August-End

12 Aug 2025 CW Team

The licence is a critical requirement for operations to begin. AAHL applied several months ago, and DGCA officials conducted an inspection in mid-July. A final inspection will follow in the coming weeks. AAHL CEO Arun Bansal said, “Post inauguration, it will take around 45 days to begin commercial operations. We will hand over the airport to CISF for security and commence domestic and international flights simultaneously.”

Within six months of launch, NMIA is expected to reach its installed Phase 1 capacity of 20 million passengers annually. With demand projected to rise further, AAHL has advanced the next phase of development, which will increase total capacity to 60 million passengers per year, up from the initially planned 30 million. This can be extended to 65 million if required.

Construction of Phase 2 is slated to start three to six months after Phase 1 operations begin and is targeted for completion by 2029. The expansion will include a second runway, a second terminal, an automated people mover linking T1 and T2, and a metro connection.

Phase 1 involves an investment of Rs 200 billion, including preparatory work for Phase 2 such as rock blasting and ground filling. Total investment in the project is expected to reach Rs 500 billion by the end of Phase 2.

Meanwhile, AAHL has decided to delay the demolition of the T1 domestic terminal at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to coincide with the inauguration of NMIA’s T2 in mid-2029, to prevent congestion at CSMIA’s T2. By 2032, T1 at CSMIA is expected to reopen.

Although 40 km apart, CSMIA and NMIA are designed to work in sync, and by 2032 will have a combined capacity of 120 million passengers annually, making them one of the world’s largest airport systems.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to grant an aerodrome licence to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), developed by the Adani Group, by the end of August, with full commercial operations targeted for mid-November, according to senior officials of Adani Airports Holdings Ltd (AAHL).The licence is a critical requirement for operations to begin. AAHL applied several months ago, and DGCA officials conducted an inspection in mid-July. A final inspection will follow in the coming weeks. AAHL CEO Arun Bansal said, “Post inauguration, it will take around 45 days to begin commercial operations. We will hand over the airport to CISF for security and commence domestic and international flights simultaneously.”Within six months of launch, NMIA is expected to reach its installed Phase 1 capacity of 20 million passengers annually. With demand projected to rise further, AAHL has advanced the next phase of development, which will increase total capacity to 60 million passengers per year, up from the initially planned 30 million. This can be extended to 65 million if required.Construction of Phase 2 is slated to start three to six months after Phase 1 operations begin and is targeted for completion by 2029. The expansion will include a second runway, a second terminal, an automated people mover linking T1 and T2, and a metro connection.Phase 1 involves an investment of Rs 200 billion, including preparatory work for Phase 2 such as rock blasting and ground filling. Total investment in the project is expected to reach Rs 500 billion by the end of Phase 2.Meanwhile, AAHL has decided to delay the demolition of the T1 domestic terminal at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to coincide with the inauguration of NMIA’s T2 in mid-2029, to prevent congestion at CSMIA’s T2. By 2032, T1 at CSMIA is expected to reopen.Although 40 km apart, CSMIA and NMIA are designed to work in sync, and by 2032 will have a combined capacity of 120 million passengers annually, making them one of the world’s largest airport systems.

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Tunnelling Begins for Thane, Borivali twin tunnel project

Tunnelling work has commenced for the 11.84-km Thane–Borivali Twin Tunnel, set to be India’s longest urban road tunnel, marking a key milestone in Mumbai’s infrastructure development.As per a post shared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on social media platform X, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Nayak’—the country’s largest single-shield hard rock TBM for an urban tunnel—was launched by Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday. The event was attended by Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, among other dignitaries. A second TBM, ‘Arjuna’, is expected to be launched so..

Infrastructure Transport

07 Apr 2026

Large Format Store Planned At M G Road Metro Station

M G Road station in Bengaluru is set to host the city’s first large-format commercial and experience space, with planning led by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. BMRCL has invited proposals to develop and operate a central business district destination at the Purple?Pink Line interchange. The plan positions the station as a commercial hub designed to serve a broad commuter base across the city. The proposal is part of a broader effort to activate transit nodes commercially. Tender documents set a minimum monthly rental of Rs 0.944 million (mn), inclusive of GST, for the large-format..

Infrastructure Energy

07 Apr 2026

Government Cancels Auction Of Eleven Critical Mineral Blocks

The government has cancelled the auction of 11 critical and strategic mineral blocks after receiving a poor investor response and failing to attract a sufficient number of qualified bidders. The decision represents a setback to plans to ramp up domestic exploration and production of critical minerals amid global supply chain disruptions and rising demand for materials used in clean energy and advanced technologies. The mines ministry issued an annulment notice setting out the reasons for the cancellations. The annulment notice indicated that the auction process for five mineral blocks was canc..