MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai airport will be inaugurated on April 17 and domestic flights will commence from the second half of May, while international operations will start from July, said Arun Bansal, CEO, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) on Sunday.
Last year, the deadline for commissioning of Navi Mumbai airport was March end, 2025.
Bansal spoke to the media gathered at the site of the Navi Mumbai airport project to witness the landing of the first "validation flight" .
An Indigo Airlines A320 aircraft landed successfully on Runway 08/26 at NMIA (Airport Code: NMI), receiving a traditional water salute from two Crash Fire Tenders (CFT). Senior representatives from DGCA, AAI, Customs, Immigration, CISF, CIDCO, IMD, BCAS, AAHL were present at the occasion.
"This is a momentous day for Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The successful completion of the validation flight is a major milestone, and we are now one step closer to operationalising the airport, prioritising safety at every step. We are grateful to the DGCA and all the agencies involved in making the validation flight trial successful. NMIA will not only offer world-class aviation facilities, it will also enable the overall development of the region," said Bansal.
The commercial aircraft's landing confirms the effective operation of Instrument Approach Procedures at NMIA. This assessment encompasses technical evaluation and landing-takeoff operations, facilitating DGCA's data validation and NMIA's acquisition of the essential aerodrome licence.
Following this achievement, NMIA's flight procedures will be included in the Electronic Aeronautical Information Publication (eAIP) for international notification.