Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Credit: PTI Photo
Raigad: The Air India One carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi would land at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) at 1440 hrs on October 8, 2025 - marking the airport's inauguration and putting Mumbai into the league of cities having twin airports.
The NMIA, located in Ulwe in Raigad district, is the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) after the Chhatrapati Shivaji March International Airport in Mumbai.
The twin-airport model would be akin to Dubai’s DXB–DWC, London’s Heathrow–Gatwick, and New York’s JFK–Newark pairs.
Modi will be at the NMIA for a couple of hours on Wednesday for the much-awaited inauguration ceremony.
The NMIA has been named as Loknete D B Patil Navi Mumbai International Airport.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had designated the code ‘NMI’ to the new airport.
It has been named after late lawyer, politician, farmers’ leader and social activist, Dinkar Balu Patil (January 13, 1926 – June 24, 2013), popularly known as D B Patil, who commands tremendous respect in the Raigad area of coastal Konkan belt.
In fact, Patil had led several protests by farmers and landowners surrounding Panvel tehsil in Raigad district when the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) acquired land several decades ago.
Over phases, the NMIA’s development and construction of the airport is being overseen by Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), which was established as a special purpose vehicle by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd and CIDCO.
According to CIDCO Vice Chairman and Managing Director Vijay Singhal, the NMIA will be inaugurated by Modi on October 8. "The Prime Minister is expected to arrive at the airport at approximately 2.40 pm and will remain on site for nearly two hours. His itinerary includes a tour of the terminal building, followed by an address to dignitaries and guests,” he said.
It may be mentioned that Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air had already announced plans to begin commercial operations from the new airport.
Around a week ago, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted the airport an aerodrome license, enabling it to launch commercial operations.
The NMIA–CSMIA pairing positions Mumbai firmly alongside the world’s most sophisticated multi-airport systems. Data shows that Dubai International (DXB) already accommodates more than 90 million passengers annually, with Al Maktoum International (DWC) being scaled to eventually exceed 120 million.
London’s network of Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton manages over 180 million passengers, while New York distributes about 130 million across JFK, Newark and LaGuardia.