PM Modi Inaugurates Navi Mumbai Airport: 10 Facts About India’s Largest Greenfield Aviation Hub

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Navi Mumbai International Airport during his visit to Maharashtra on October 8-9, marking a major milestone in India’s aviation infrastructure. The commercial operations of the airport are expected to begin in December 2025.

With this inauguration, Mumbai has now joined the league of global cities like London, New York, and Tokyo that have more than one international airport. PM Modi also undertook a walkthrough of the newly built airport.

The airport is a key step towards the Prime Minister’s vision of making India a global aviation hub. As the second international airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it will complement the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in managing passenger and cargo traffic, reducing congestion, and enhancing operational efficiency.

#WATCH | Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra | Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, built at a cost of around Rs 19,650 crore.

(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/6kSxFSHNgB

— ANI (@ANI) October 8, 2025

Here are 10 key facts about India’s new AI-enabled aviation hub:

• The NMIA is developed under a Public–Private Partnership (PPP) model at an estimated cost of Rs 19,650 crore.
• Spread over 1,160 hectares, NMIA is designed to handle 90 million passengers annually (MPPA).
• NMIA is capable of handling over 3 million metric tonnes of cargo annually, boosting India’s logistics efficiency.
• The airport, which is India’s largest Greenfield airport project, is developed through a PPP Model, with participation from public agencies and private investors.
• The airport is designed with intelligent air traffic management, smart surveillance, and automated passenger processing for seamless operations.
• AI-based design will ensure efficient check-ins, baggage management, and crowd control.
• Among its unique offerings is an Automated People Mover (APM), a transit system planned to connect all four passenger terminals for smooth inter-terminal transfers, as well as a landside APM linking the city-side infrastructure.
• The airport will also feature dedicated storage for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), solar power generation of approximately 47 MW, and EV bus services for public connectivity across the city, keeping in line with sustainable practices.
• NMIA will also be the first airport in the country to be connected by Water Taxi.
• Phase 1 is complete, and commercial flights are set to begin in December 2025.

PM Modi also inaugurated the final phase of Mumbai Metro Line-3 and launched India’s first integrated common mobility app, ‘Mumbai One,’ for 11 public transport operators during his two-day visit to Maharashtra.