The Navi Mumbai International Airport saw its first successful trial landing on Friday after an Indian Air Force aircraft touched down on the runway, marking a major milestone in the airport's journey towards becoming operational early next year.
An Indian Air Force C295, a multi-role tactical airlifter, made a successful landing on the south runway of the airport, receiving a water salute from the fire brigade and a flypast by Sukhoi 30 jets.
Indian Air Force C295 is a multi-role tactical airlifter
The development of the Navi Mumbai International Airport was started by the Adani Group in 2021 and will be the conglomerate's first greenfield airport after construction is completed early next year. Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) said he was proud of the progress that Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) had made and that the trial landing was a historic moment for Navi Mumbai.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde greets Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Airport Holdings
The event was also attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, among others.
Taking to social media platform X, Jeet Adani said, "A historic moment for Navi Mumbai as we celebrate the first landing on the new airport with the Indian Air Force's C-295! Grateful for the support of @IAF_MCC, including a stunning low pass by the Su-30. This marks the dawn of a new era in Indian aviation, where the sky is no longer the limit. Together, we soar higher!"
Talking about the development of the airport, Jeet Adani said, "As AAHL's first greenfield airport, NMIAL represents years of planning, investment and hard work. We are grateful to the Government of Maharashtra, the regulatory bodies including CIDCO and Airports Authority of India and all the other stakeholders who have come together to make this project possible. This world-class airport will play a pivotal role in the region's growth, serving as a crucial hub for travellers across the globe".
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the Navi Mumbai airport will help ease congestion at the Mumbai airport and that the two airports will be connected through metro and roads, according to news agency IANS.
He said the airport would be "India's greenest airport with the potential to generate 36 MW of solar and wind energy" and "India's first multi-modal aviation hub connected by expressway, highways, two metro rail corridors, high-speed rails".
The Navi Mumbai airport, which will have four terminals, will eventually have the capacity to handle 90 million passengers a year and 8 lakh tonnes of cargo.
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