The much-anticipated Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has missed its scheduled launch date once more. Originally slated to commence operations on 15 May 2025, the airport will now remain non-operational at least until 6 August 2025.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued an official Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) in mid-May, informing pilots and airlines that the facility remains unavailable for take-offs, landings, or emergency diversions. The notice confirmed that NMIA’s infrastructure is still incomplete, rendering it unfit to support flight operations safely.
Critical infrastructure components such as a fully functional runway, emergency response services, and essential navigational systems are yet to be commissioned. As a result, aircraft cannot use NMIA for emergency landings or other operational purposes.
Ongoing work includes the development of the runway, taxiways, parking bays, firefighting systems, weather monitoring equipment, cargo handling facilities, and fuelling stations. However, the Airports Authority has not published any official arrival or departure routes to date.
Another significant hurdle is the presence of 225 obstacles around the airport site, as outlined in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). These obstacles comprise 86 residential buildings, 79 elevated points on nearby hills, 23 pylon masts, 12 mobile towers, eight stadium floodlights, four electricity poles, three industrial silos, and three cranes. Each obstacle has been mapped with precise coordinates and height details, necessitating clearance or effective management before safe flight operations can commence.
If the airport remains incomplete beyond the revised August timeline, AAI will be compelled to issue a fresh NOTAM, in accordance with aviation safety regulations, to notify relevant stakeholders of further delays.
Source: Mid-day.
