Soaring into the future: A visual journey through Navi Mumbai International Airport

The first fully digital, eco-friendly airport to start commercial operations this December

Last updated: October 08, 2025 | 11:12

2 MIN READ

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), built at a cost of Rs196.5 billion ($2.36 billion), will make Mumbai one of the few global cities with more than one international airport.

NMIA

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Developed under a public-private partnership between Adani Airport Holdings and CIDCO, the state-of-the-art greenfield facility is designed to redefine India’s air-travel experience.

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India’s first fully digital airport, NMIA, will feature AI-enabled terminals, digital immigration, online baggage drop and pre-booked parking for seamless passenger movement.

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Spread across 1,160 hectares, the airport will initially handle 20 million passengers a year, eventually accommodating 155 million across four terminals and two runways.

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Commercial flight operations from the eco-friendly greenfield hub are expected to commence in December 2025, initially handling 12-hour daily schedules.

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Once operational, NMIA will create over 200,000 jobs in the aviation, logistics, IT, hospitality, and real estate sectors, boosting regional growth.

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Major airlines, including IndiGo, Air India Express, and Akasa Air, will launch operations from NMIA, connecting cities across India and abroad. The airport’s multimodal connectivity links it directly to expressways, suburban rail, metro lines, and a proposed water taxi service, making travel across the MMR faster.

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Accessible via the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Sion-Panvel Highway and Ulwe Coastal Road, NMIA ensures smooth entry from every corner of the metropolitan region.

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Passenger-friendly facilities include 66 check-in counters, 22 self-service bag drops, 29 aerobridges, and 10 bus boarding gates for quick and efficient boarding.

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Digital art installations and interactive exhibits within the terminal will showcase Mumbai’s culture and Maharashtra’s heritage, enriching the travel experience.

Devadasan K P

Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 26 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.

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