The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has started its operation on the airside on Thursday, marking a historic landmark in the aviation history of India with the landing and departure of the commercial flights. Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani wished passengers a happy journey with the inaugural operation of this much-awaited airport, with a new era in aviation in and around Mumbai.
The first arrival was IndiGo flight 6E460 coming in from Bengaluru. It arrived at 8:00 am as the first plane to touch down in the new airport. It was welcomed with the traditional water cannon salute. Soon after that, the first departure was made by flight 6E882 of IndiGo as it flew to Hyderabad at 8:40 am.
---Advertisement---
Being established as a future-ready aviation hub, NMIA is poised to be a crucial part of handling the ever-rising demands for air travel in the country of India. Covering an area of 1,160 hectares, the greenfield airport has been developed to eventually handle a total of 90 million passengers a year. NMIA will handle 20 million passengers a year during the initial phase and 0.5 million metric tonnes of cargo.
---Advertisement---
NMIA is built keeping the element of sustainability in mind, adopting the use of renewables and sustainable construction methods. Its flowing designs and future visions take orders from the lotus, India's national flower, representing growth, strength, and sustainability with nature.