Explained: Best routes, distance and travel time to Navi Mumbai airport from across city

Navi Mumbai International Airport

After years of delays and shifting deadlines, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is finally set for inauguration on October 8.

NMIA will be the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and its airport code is 'NMI'. The project is being developed in five phases.

Once fully completed, the airport will be able to serve 90 million passengers and manage 3.2 MMT of cargo each year, making it one of the largest aviation hubs in Asia.

According to a report by The Times of India, connectivity plans are being finalized to ensure smooth travel for passengers across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

Here’s how different regions will connect to the new airport:

1. Island City

• Starting point: Worli
• Route: Freeway → Atal Setu → Ulwe-Belapur Road
• Distance/Time: 35 km / 70 mins

• Starting point: Powai
• Route: Eastern Express Highway → Vashi Bridge → Thane-Belapur Road → Belapur-Ulwe Road
• Distance/Time: 34 km / 70 mins

• Starting point: Viviana Mall
• Route: Eastern Express Highway → Mumbra-Airoli Road → Thane-Belapur Road → Belapur-Ulwe Road
• Distance/Time: 34 km / 60 mins

• Starting point: Goregaon (Oberoi Mall)
• Route: Western Express Highway → Sea Link → Worli → Freeway → Atal Setu → Ulwe-Belapur Road
• Distance/Time: 45 km / 95 mins

• Starting point: Beverly Park
• Route: Ghodbunder Road → Thane-Belapur Road → Belapur-Ulwe Road
• Distance/Time: 50 km / 135 mins

• Starting point: Vashi
• Route: Palm Beach Road → Belapur-Ulwe Road
• Distance/Time: 14 km / 30 mins

7. Kalyan, Dombivli, Badlapur, Ambernath

• Starting point: Kalyan Junction
• Route: Shilphata Road → Sion-Panvel Highway → Ulwe-Belapur Road
• Distance/Time: 37 km / 120 mins

Near-future transport to the new airport includes integrated shuttle buses from from Seawoods, Nerul, Belapur, Taloja and Targhar railway stations. Closest stop will be Targhar. A direct Metro Line 8 (Gold Line) to Mumbai Airport, and a proposed water taxi service connecting to the Airport SEZ via speed boats, hovercrafts, and catamarans. Metro Line 8 construction is set to begin in 2025, aiming for completion by 2030.

Traffic advisory

Travel times reflect peak-hour conditions; some shorter routes may take longer due to congestion. Officials were quoted by TOI as saying thAT passengers from Andheri, Santacruz, Vile Parle, and Bandra may still prefer the Atal Setu route despite longer distance, as it avoids bottlenecks near Vashi Naka.