The NMIA comes with many plusses and firsts – The first phase, which includes Terminal 1, can handle 20 million passengers annually. The airport will expand to four terminals in the next few years, reaching a capacity of up to 90 million passengers per year. It will be many times bigger than the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai. By 2032, the airport will be able to accommodate 2.5 million tonnes of cargo. The domestic cargo terminal will be spread over 3,60,000 sq ft and the international cargo terminal will be spread over 2,55,000 sq ft. Once the airport is ready with two runways, it will be able to handle nine crore passengers (annually). Its baggage-handling system is efficient with the barcode being read with 360-degree scanners.

ROADS, METROS, BUSES & TRAINS THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO NMIA

The NMIA is located in Navi Mumbai near Ulwe and Panvel. This is how those travelling from Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Raigad, Konkan can reach it through various modes of transport:

Roads or highways:

Mumbai-Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) or Atal Setu: The 22-km sea bridge connects Sewri (Mumbai) to Nhava Sheva (Navi Mumbai). It will bring down the travel time to 20 minutes from bridge end to NMIA. It was opened in 2024, and connects to NMIA via Ulwe Coastal Road.

Sion-Panvel Highway, NH 348A, Amra Marg: These existing highways connect Mumbai, Thane, and suburbs to Navi Mumbai and NMIA.

Eastern Freeway: It brings traffic from South Mumbai to Chembur before joining the Sion-Panvel highway.

Ulwe Coastal Road (UCR): A new six-lane road (5.8 km) with a 1.2-km elevated section. It will link Amra Marg/Belapur to MTHL junction for direct NMIA access. It is under construction and expected to be ready by early 2026.

Thane-NMIA Elevated Corridor: A 26-KM Corridor has been proposed. It links Patni Chowk in Thane to Vashi and has 9-km connector from Vashi to NMIA. The double-decker design is meant to ease congestion on the Thane-Belapur Road. The DPR is underway, while the construction is yet to begin. It has been approved and will facilitate passengers from the entire metropolitan region. With this elevated corridor, it will take just a few minutes to travel from Mumbai and Thane to Navi Mumbai. This elevated road will be connected to Ulwe Coastal Road. It will be connected to the Navi Mumbai airport terminals by an elevated road.

Kharghar-Belapur Coastal Road: The road is planned between Kharghar Sector-16 and Belapur Sector-11. It aims to ease Sion-Panvel traffic and improve NMIA access. While CRZ clearance has been received, construction is awaited.

Metro Line 8 (Gold Line): This is the route the corridor will take — CSMIA (Andheri) to Kurla to LTT to Mankhurd to Vashi to Nerul to Belapur to NMIA. The line will begin at CSMIA Terminal 2 in Andheri, travel underground till Chhedanagar in Chembur, and then continue as an elevated line until NMIA.

It is expected to be completed by 2029.

Navi Mumbai Metro lines: CIDCO plans to extend Navi Mumbai metro Lines to connect directly with NMIA. Specific lines and alignments are in planning stages.

Panvel Railway Station: This station on the harbour line of the CR is close to NMIA. Passengers can use Panvel railway station along with road/metro connections to reach NMIA. Fliers from Pune, Raigad, Nashik and Konkan, too, can arrive here.

Buses and public transport

CIDCO and MMRDA are planning mini-buses, e-rickshaws, auto stands, and shuttles from rail/metro nodes to NMIA terminals