Navi Mumbai: In a significant stride towards operational readiness, the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will witness its first commercial landing on the southern runway with an Indigo A320 aircraft on Sunday, December 29, 2024. This development comes a fortnight after the Airports Authority of India (AAI) successfully conducted Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) validation at the airport.
"We will be conducting the commercial landing to ensure that we are ready to land and take off aircraft from the runway and make the airport operational by the stipulated date of March 31, 2025," sources known to the development said and mentioned that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been invited to witness the event, although his attendance is yet to be confirmed.
The test will be conducted by the AAI and NMIA, sources said without elaborating further.
On December 12, the AAI conducted PAPI system, crucial for guiding pilots during landing, was validated by AAI's Flight Inspection Unit (FIU). This system uses a series of lights perpendicular to the runway, emitting red and white signals to help pilots maintain the correct glide path. The validation process is essential for pilot safety and involves trials and analyses under both day and night conditions.
NMIA achieved a significant milestone on October 11, 2024 when an Indian Air Force (IAF) C295 aircraft successfully conducted a test landing. This event, executed by an expert IAF crew, showcased the airport's capability to handle various types of aircraft and underscored the collaborative efforts between the IAF and airport authorities to uphold high aviation safety and infrastructure standards.
The NMIA project is designed to alleviate congestion at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), addressing the growing air traffic and population in Mumbai. Residents of Navi Mumbai and surrounding areas have eagerly awaited the airport's operationalization, which is expected to boost the local economy, create jobs, and enhance connectivity.
NMIA is one of India's largest greenfield international airports under development, with a capacity to handle 90 million passengers and 2.5 million tonnes of cargo annually. As the second international airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), it is set to operate alongside CSMIA as part of an urban dual airport system, serving as a major gateway to the country.
