The aircraft was welcomed with the traditional water salute by two Crash Fire Tenders (CFT) of NMIA. | FPJ Photos by: Farooq Sayed
Navi Mumbai: In the presence of regulators from India’s aviation sector, the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) took a monumental step toward becoming operational with its first commercial flight validation test.
Runway 08/26 at NMIA (Airport Code: NMI) came alive as an A320 aircraft from Indigo Airlines successfully touched down, marking a historic milestone in the international airport’s journey toward becoming fully operational.
The aircraft was welcomed with the traditional water salute by two Crash Fire Tenders (CFT) of NMIA. This pivotal moment, witnessed by senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Customs, Immigration, CISF, CIDCO, IMD, BCAS, as well as Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) and other key stakeholders, signals the airport’s alignment with global aviation standards.
FPJ Photos by: Farooq Sayed |
“This is a momentous day for Navi Mumbai International Airport. 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 Mr. Arun Bansal, Chief Executive Officer, Adani Airport Holdings Limited, adding, “By February 6, we would be applying for Aerodrome license and once it comes through, we plan to inaugurate the operations of the airport by April 17.
After the inauguration, we need four weeks of time to have CISF and other security measures on board and by mid-May, the airport would be operational for Domestic and Cargo usage.
Three months after that, international flights would be started. Initially, during the inauguration the passenger capacity would be that of around 8 to 9 million passenger which would eventually be increased to 20 million. The initial capacity of the cargo would be 0.85 tonnes.”
He further added that they are in talks with all the airlines and all have showed interest as the Mumba Airport has now become congested.
The touchdown of a commercial aircraft validates and establishes the synchronised functioning of Instrument Approach Procedures at NMIA.
The exercise includes technical assessment, landing and take-off manoeuvres, paving the way for the DGCA to validate the data collected from the flight and for NMIA to receive the aerodrome license, which is essential to operate the airport.
Post the successful landing, NMIA’s established flight procedures will be published in the Electronic Aeronautical Information Publication (eAIP) for international promulgation.
Cidco MD Vijay Singhal said, “The 70% of terminal work is over and there is no reason for any further delay. The first terminal of the four terminals, would be inaugurated on April 17, 2025.”
Prior to the landing of the validation flight, NMIA successfully conducted the flight calibration of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), subsequently drafting instrument approach procedures to prepare itself for the arrival of the validation flight.
On 11 October 2024, the inaugural landing of an Indian Air Force C-295, a large multi-role tactical airlifter, took place, representing a significant milestone in the development of the greenfield international airport, which is scheduled to be operational in early 2025.
The Project is proposed to be developed in multiple phases; once complete the airport will have the capacity to manage over 90 million passengers per annum (MPPA). In the initial phase, NMIAL is implementing a passenger capacity of 20 MPPA and 800,000 tons per annum of cargo handling capacity.
