Navi Mumbai Airport to be ready by December 2024: Gautam Adani - IndiaTimes

NEW DELHI: The long-awaited Navi Mumbai Airport will be ready the end of next year and boost the mega-city’s aerial connectivity that has been constrained for years as the existing Mumbai Airport is running to capacity. Navi Mumbai Airport is “preparing for operational readiness and airport transition (ORAT) by December 2024,” billionaire Gautam Adani said at Adani Group’s annual general meeting on Tuesday. He has described the upcoming airport among the group’s “key projects” and that the same is “on schedule”.
According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), ORAT is the “process of transitioning a new or redeveloped airport facility from construction to operation and an “effective (way) to support the successful introduction of new airport infrastructure.” An ORAT program engages airlines and other airport users early to “scope requirements, plan and conduct preparation activities, and monitor progress. The methodology can be applied to make a wide range of facilities – from baggage systems and passenger terminals to entire airports – fully operational,” IATA says.
Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) was conceived way back in 1999. Construction is on in full swing to build a 2 crore passengers per annum (CPPA) Terminal 1 (T1). While India’s national bird, peacock, was the design inspiration for Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), NMIA’s terminal will draw its features from India’s national flower — lotus.
The original plan for this airport envisaged operations starting with 1-CCPA phase one and then have an ultimate capacity of 6 CPPA. But things changed dramatically when Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) took over Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) from GVK group in July 2021. MIAL was to build NMIA and this responsibility came to the infra major.
“On his first visit to NMIA site after that acquisition, billionaire Gautam Adani said the upcoming airport’s projections should be revised given the massive requirement and potential of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. After that it was decided to execute phase 1 and 2 together by creating 2 CPPA capacity in one go by December 2024 and the ultimate capacity was revised to 9-9.5 crore. Similarly cargo handling capacity was also increased by over 50% from the originally planned 1.5 to 2.5 million metric tonnes annually by 2032,” a senior group official had recently told TOI.
From planning to execution, the wait for Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) would have stretched for over quarter of a century when the combined phase 1 & 2 get operational next December. But the remaining three phases — 3, 4 and 5 — are planned to be implemented quickly by 2032.
The main activities under ORAT, that is overseen by “a team of experienced subject matter experts who work directly with airport stakeholders to assess performance, coordinate actions and overcome obstacles,” include conducting orientation and familiarisation training that covers common facility spaces, functions and systems and individual user requirements.
“Implementing ORAT requires close collaboration between a dedicated team and airport end-users, plus a significant investment in time and resources. An ORAT program should therefore be integrated into the larger project plan and safeguarded from delays in construction and commissioning,” IATA says.

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Navi Mumbai Airport to be ready by December 2024: Gautam Adani - IndiaTimes
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