By Dec 2026, Navi Mumbai airport expected to handle 50,000 passengers per day

Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai airport is expected to handle around 50,000 passengers per day by Dec, up from roughly 19,000 to 20,000 it handles currently. While the current passenger traffic comprises entirely domestic flyers, by June-July, the airport is expected to start handling international flights, and so the projected data for Dec includes both domestic and international passengers.Air traffic movements (ATMs) are expected to go up to 350 takeoffs and landings per day by year-end. Currently, the airport handles about 150 flights daily, said a senior official from Navi Mumbai International Airport. Speaking at ‘Airport360', an aviation exposition held in Mumbai on Thursday, the official said the West Asia conflict has pushed the commencement date of international operations, which were earlier supposed to begin in April. The demand for domestic flights is steadily rising, with airlines reporting almost 73% passenger loads in March, which is typically a lean month for travel, he added. Airlines are adjusting networks to make better use of available slots, with spillover traffic from Mumbai supporting growth at the new airport, he said.Speaking about connectivity to the new airport, he said the plan for Metro Line 8—the 35 km high-speed corridor that will connect the existing Mumbai airport with the Navi Mumbai airport—is at the tendering stage. "Once the tender is in public domain, the metro should be ready in about four years. It will be built in two phases, the easier part from Mankhurd to Navi Mumbai airport will be completed first and opened, and thereafter the underground work will be taken in the second phase where the metro will connect from Mankhurd to Mumbai airport," he added.Early in the day, Dr Sharad Kumar, chief advisor, Airports Authority of India, delivering the opening address, said India's aviation sector is entering a defining phase where growth must be supported by clear strategic choices.