The mega airport, with a capacity of 20 million passengers in the first phase, was earlier scheduled to start operations in December 2024 but that was delayed to the March quarter of 2025.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport will now start operations only in the April-June quarter of 2025, a senior Adani Enterprises (AEL) executive said. The Adani Group, which runs the Mumbai International Airport, is building the new airport in Navi Mumbai.

An Adani Airport Holdings spokesperson, however, said, “There is no delay, as of now, in the opening of the Navi Mumbai Airport, as communicated to the state and central authorities.”

The mega airport, with a capacity of 20 million passengers in the first phase, was earlier scheduled to start operations in December 2024 but that was delayed to the March quarter of 2025.

Robbie Singh, CFO, AEL, said: “Navi Mumbai Airport should click in in the second calendar quarter of next year.” The disclosure was made to analysts after AEL declared its September quarter results last month.

In October, a turboprop transport aircraft of Indian Air Force, made a successful landing on the southern runway.

The Navi Mumbai airport will be the Adani Group’s eighth. Together with Mumbai, they will be viewed as one airport as per the group’s blueprint which includes sharing of aircraft movements and development of non-aeronautical income.

“Since both Mumbai Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport are under the ownership of our subsidiary, Adani Airport Holdings, we plan to operate these airports as one airport with two runways and three terminals upon the completion of ongoing phase-I of Navi Mumbai Airport,” said a note from Adani Enterprises.

 Though it has two runways, the Mumbai airport can use only one at any given point. The Navi Mumbai airport will eventually have two runways after the conclusion of all the work phases. While Mumbai has two passenger terminals, the Navi Mumbai airport will begin with one terminal before adding three more. 

Both these airports are being developed in phased manner in a total area of 1,160 hectare with a potential capability of housing approximately 60 million passengers on completion of all the phases.

“Decongestion of Mumbai Airport will happen by initially moving turboprop aircraft (small ATR planes) operations to Navi Mumbai International Airport since Mumbai airport is already congested and ATRs generally use up the runway capacity,” the note further added.