Did the Maha cabinet greenlight the Thane to Navi Mumbai Airport elevated road project worth Rs 6,363 crore?

Mumbai, Sep 3 (NationPress) The Maharashtra Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, officially sanctioned the construction of the elevated road project connecting Thane to the Navi Mumbai International Airport at a cost of Rs 6,363 crore.

The initiative will be executed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) through a public-private partnership. The cabinet has also classified this venture as an ambitious urban project. Furthermore, it approved the acquisition of additional land along the route for commercial purposes and permitted the transfer of government-owned land beneath the route to CIDCO at a minimal cost.

This cabinet decision is pivotal because the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is anticipated to be inaugurated by the end of September, although operational activities will take approximately 45 days to commence thereafter.

The new airport will enhance connectivity for travelers moving to and from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The greenfield airport will serve as the second air hub in the region, transitioning Mumbai into a multi-modal aviation center. It aims to ease congestion at the current Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and stimulate economic growth.

The project involves an investment nearing Rs 20,000 crore and will feature a single terminal for both domestic and international flights, along with one of the two planned runways. It is designed to accommodate 20 million passengers annually (MPPA), significantly increasing the aviation capacity of the MMR. Phase 1 will include 42 aircraft stands—29 contact and 13 remote—capable of managing 20 million passengers each year.

Moreover, the airport will incorporate an ultra-fast baggage handling system utilizing 360-degree barcode scanning to enhance speed and precision. The baggage claim area is set to be among the fastest globally, and future developments will allow passengers to check in their luggage within the city, enabling seamless, luggage-free transfers to the airport, according to government sources.

Chief Minister Fadnavis, who visited the Navi Mumbai airport project in July, remarked, “The airport is advancing swiftly, with about 14,000 workers on-site. If necessary, we can double the workforce to meet the deadline. Although the target of September 30 is ambitious, we have synchronized it with the Prime Minister’s availability for the inauguration.”

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde emphasized that the Navi Mumbai airport will be a pivotal element for Maharashtra’s economic future. “Once operational, it will greatly alleviate congestion at Mumbai airport and enhance connectivity to Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Goa,” he stated. He also mentioned that once the missing link on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway is completed, residents of Pune will be able to reach Navi Mumbai airport within an hour.