Navi Mumbai, Jewar airports are growth runways for India’s aviation sector: Minister
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu
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REUTERS
The upcoming mega airport projects at Navi Mumbai and Jewar (Noida International Airport) will enhance connectivity and drive the growth of India’s aviation sector, said Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu.
Speaking to businessline, Naidu said that the Navi Mumbai Airport, followed by NIA, will mark a new growth trend in India, where megacities will be served by the two airports.
“Mumbai will become the first megacity in India to operate on a twin-airport model,” he said.
“Aviation growth has been restrained due to capacity constraints in megacities such as Mumbai. The commissioning of NMIA, followed by Jewar, will ease this bottleneck and usher in enhanced connectivity and growth.”
The mega infrastructure project will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8, 2025.
Passenger handling
Notably, NMIA will complement Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), starting with a capacity of 20 million passengers per annum (MPPA), and eventually scaling up to 90 MPPA.
Together, the dual-airport system will raise the overall passenger capacity of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to over 155 MPPA.
The Minister said that, as per current timelines, the Jewar airport’s construction phase is expected to be completed by October-end.
“After the construction phase, regulatory testing and trials will take place before licensing is completed,” Naidu said, and added that the airport is expected to be operational by year-end.
350 airports by 2047
The minister also stated that the Centre plans to develop a total of 350 airports across the country by 2047.
In the past 11 years, India has more than doubled its airport count from 74 to 163.
businessline was the first to report that the Centre has exceeded its five-year airport infrastructure investment target by 105 per cent, with ₹96,843 crore in capital expenditure against a projected ₹91,637 crore during FY19-20 to FY24-25.
“We are working on a holistic plan to develop the next generation of airports in the country,” he said.
“Under this initiative, we will focus on the needs of passengers and the kind of connectivity (flights per week) we expect.”
According to the minister, the Centre will classify airports into three distinct categories such as ‘mega, medium, and small’.
“These categories will define what facilities and conveniences travellers should expect at each type of airport. Our ultimate goal is to provide affordable facilities like ‘Udan Yatri Cafe’ and digital facilities like DigiYatra at all the airports in the country,” he said.
“Each airport category will have different technical specifications to keep costs low while maintaining safety as the top priority.”
At present, airports in India are categorised as major and non-major. The major airports have the distinction of handling over 3.5 million passengers annually, whereas non-major airports serve fewer than 3.5 million passengers each year.
Hub airports
Additionally, the minister said that the initiative will lead to better coordination between regional and hub airports, and vice versa.
“The creation of hubs requires strong backend integration with airports in tier-I and tier-II cities. Most airports cannot have direct international connectivity, so the concept of hub airports is very important for India,” he said.
A hub airport synergises both domestic and international operations, enabling passengers to transit between them seamlessly.
In addition, the hub requires well-synchronised flight connectivity to regional airports, as well as strong metro, road, and highway links.
Published on October 7, 2025
