Navi Mumbai airport runway test scheduled for Oct 11 as airport prepares to start operation from 2025

Navi Mumbai Airport

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which is expected to begin operations in March 2025, is set to witness its first aircraft landing on October 11 as part of a trial run by the Indian Air Force (IAF), multiple executives aware of the development told Moneycontrol.

IAF aircraft, including an Airbus C295 transport aircraft and a Sukhoi fighter jet, taking off from NMIA on Friday will be the key element of the crucial runway test before the airport's expected March 2025 opening.

The trial run will be conducted between 10 am and 2 pm on Friday in the presence of Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, union minister of civil aviation, and Murlidhar Mohol, the deputy minister, are also expected to attend.

The event had been initially slated for October 5 but was rescheduled.

Sources said that the state and central governments want to showcase to the people that they have done something for the state before the Maharashtra assembly elections.

"Shinde is expected to perform the bhumi pujan (groundbreaking ceremony) of the proposed Maharashtra Bhavan near Vashi station and inaugurate a full-fledged golf course at Kharghar on that day," an official aware of the plans for October 11 told Moneycontrol.

The aircraft test operations at NMIA will be after the commissioning of the Instrument Landing System (ILS), which is part of calibrating the flight path to ensure the operational readiness of the airport. The ILS guides pilots for precise landings using two radio beacons that provide horizontal and vertical cues.

In July and August, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) attempted ILS testing at the airport but the process was delayed due to incessant rains.

The tests on October 11 are expected to cause delays in the flight arrivals at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, the main airport servicing Mumbai, on Friday between 10 am and 4 pm.

"To alleviate the air traffic congestion over Mumbai, air traffic controllers will delay the flights arriving in Mumbai," an AAI official said.

He added that around 6-10 flights into Mumbai will likely face delays of 30 minute to an hour to facilitate the turboprop aircraft conducting ILS tests at Navi Mumbai. Departures, however, will not be affected, the official added.

Once the October 11 tests are done, and the runway calibrated, AAI will be move forward with further tests before the runway is fully operational.

Earlier this week, Sanjay Shirsat, a member of the Maharashtra Assembly and the newly appointed chairperson of the City And Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), visited the NMIA site on Tuesday and shared updates on the progress of the airport’s construction.

He expressed confidence that the test would proceed as planned, paving the way for the airport to become operational for domestic flights by March 2025 and for international flights by June 2025.

Shirsat highlighted that the new airport, once completed, will have four terminals and two parallel runways, with parking space for 350 aircraft, and cater to 90 million passengers annually once operational. The project cost was pegged at Rs 16,700 crore.

The airport’s layout will allow for smoother navigation between terminals, unlike Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport which often faces congestion issues due to its current infrastructure.

NMIA will serve as Mumbai’s second international aviation hub, which is nearing full capacity.

Developed by Adani Airports in partnership with CIDCO under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, NMIA spans 1,160 hectares in Navi Mumbai. After Adani took over the project from GVK in 2020, construction began in 2021 and is now on track despite earlier delays.

Airbus Defence and Space has so far delivered five C295 aircraft to the IAF as part of a 56 C295 aircraft deal. These aircraft will replace the IAF's ageing Avro-748 fleet.

India signed a deal for 56 Airbus C295 aircraft at a cost of Rs 21,935 crore in September 2021 and the first C295 aircraft was delivered to the IAF in September 2023.

The first India-made C295 will be rolled out from the Vadodara facility in September 2026.