ULWE- Finally, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Airbus C295 aircraft made the first-ever landing on the Southern Runway (RY08/26) of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) today (October 11, 2024).
Already media have covered it but we will give you the exclusive ground report along with real facts as I was invited by the NMIAL and CIDCO authority to witness this historical event.
Navi Mumbai International Airport First Landing
So first of all, let’s begin with the event details, today’s historic landing marks the beginning of a new phase for the airport. Lots of work has been done at the airport and I got a complete outside tour of the facility.
At 12:15 PM IST, the nation stopped to witness the historic landing of the IAF C295 aircraft operating flight VUMAD at Navi Mumbai Airport. NMIAL is India’s first multi-modal airport, as it’s connected by all means of available transportation.
C295 is a medium-range tactical transport aircraft, manufactured by Airbus at its Spanish facility. Tata Advance System Limited (TASL) will also produce 40 such aircraft for IAF at its Vadodara facility.
Also, the Sukhoi SU-30MKI, the Russian-designed and HAL-built multirole fighter aircraft did a low flypast over the airport. It was so quick that I hardly managed to take a snap.
The landing was carried out in the presence of Maharastra’s Chief Minister (CM) Shri Eknath Shinde Ji, Deputy CM Shri Devendra Fadnavis Ji, Hon’ble Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Co-Operation Shri Murlidhar Mohol Ji and other respected MPs and MLAs.
Unfortunately, the civil aviation minister of India, Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu missed this special ceremony.
If you want to know more about the airport facility, capacity, operations, and other important details make sure to check this article, where I have mentioned the facts on NMI.
Busting Myths About New Multi-Modal Navi Mumbai International Airport | Exclusive – Aviation A2Z
Historic Landing at Navi Mumbai Airport
The event started after ministers and other heads of various authorities arrived at the airport’s airside at 11:30 AM IST. The IAF C295 aircraft registered as CA7104 took off from Ahmedabad Airport (AMD) at 10:26 AM IST and arrived near the airport at 11:45 AM IST.
But it did not land directly, instead, it did four to five flyovers at 2000-3000 feet before landing for the first time at NMI at 12:15 PM IST.
After landing it received a water salute from Navi Mumbai’s Belapur firefighter team and they were so excited to welcome the IAF aircraft. I talked with them and they said they are happy to witness this historic milestone.
After landing and taxing, the aircraft was welcomed by ministers and other airport officials. The ministers welcomed and congratulated the pilots for this special landing.
Minister Remarks
Further, the ministers held the press meeting and they briefed the media about the work their government is doing.
While speaking with the media, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM said,
“Today is a very important day for all of us. Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi Ji who laid the foundation stone a few years back for the airport will be the one to inaugurate it. Today’s Successful landing is an answer to our critics who said that it’s just a rumor and constructing an airport in Navi Mumbai is not possible.”
While speaking about the commercial operations, Fadnavis said, “We will soon see commercial flight operations. It is one of the most advanced airports with two parallel runways, four interconnected terminals, multi-modal connectivity, and much more. The airport will handle nine crore passengers a year.”
“The airport will give a boost to the development of the state and will help reduce congestion at cities main airport, Mumbai International Airport (BOM),” added Fadnavis.
Fadnavis ji concluded his brief by saying, “I congratulate all the people behind this work and NMIA will be a boon to Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Navi Mumbai, and to Maharashtra.”
‘Modi is the Fighter’
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde while talking with Press called PM Modi a Fighter while comparing him with Fighter aircraft.
Shinde started his speech by thanking IAF pilots, “I thank IAF C295 aircraft pilots, staff, airport officials, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and our PM Modi for this major milestone.”
“We are all prepared and ready for flight and fight,” Shinde added. He said this in the context of the upcoming assembly election in Maharashtra.
Shinde said, “Our PM is a fighter just like Sukhoi fighter aircraft, who single-handedly performed well in this year’s Lok Sabha election and state elections held across various states, most recent being Haryana.”
While stating the benefit of having same BJP government Shinde said, “Our state and central government will speed up the process of getting regulatory approvals and will further boost the airport development.”
Eknath Shinde further said, “The airport will be the largest in India, once completely built, and will handle passenger and cargo operations at large scale. Atal Setu Bridge has enhanced the road connectivity between MMR and Navi Mumbai, easing the transfer to and from the airport for people residing in MMR. Subsequently, both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports will be connected directly via metro line.”
He then talked about the work their coalition government had done after returning to power. It’s all known and I leave it to political media to cover it.
But when asked about the name of the airport, he said, it would be DB Patil International Airport along with NMIAL.
Just like Mumbai International Airport, which gets its name from the greatest leader of all time Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Navi Mumbai Airport will get its name from the beloved local leader DB Patil.
Ground Report on Navi Mumbai Airport
I talked with a few people working at the airport and outside it. One of them was a CIDCO officer who asked for anonymity. CIDCO which stands for City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited is also working with Adani to develop the airport.
I asked the officer whether the airport would be completed on time in March 2025 or not. He said, “By looking at the work done so far nothing is impossible, however, it’s very challenging to meet that deadline. I think it can be delayed a little.”
“The terminal is yet to be completed and interiors and other work will take time. Further, it involves lots of approvals and security checks, which are time-consuming. So it’s safe to say, that the launch of commercial operations by FY2024-25 is quite a challenge for all of us.”
I asked the airport official, “Which airline will operate the first flight commercial flight and when they will begin flight testing?
In reply, the official said, “There is no confirmation ye. But IndiGo (6E) is likely to operate the test flights with crew along with Akasa Air (QP), who are based out of Mumbai.”
She declined to comment on the number of airlines that will operate the flights from this second airport.
When asked one of the workers about the work progress, he said, “The airport is speeding its work and we have multiple agencies working in multiple shifts to complete the wor on time and we are glad to be part of this development.”
My Thoughts
I was glad to visit the airport and did a drive around to see the progress. The airport has done a tremendous job since my last visit to the airport earlier this year. The main terminal is almost ready structure-wise. However, there is a whole lot of work pending including, the installation of exterior panels, electrical wirings, safety systems, and much more.
In short, there is a lot of pending work. But on the positive side, the intermediary or temporary Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower is ready and operational which guided the first aircraft to land safely.
Also, the Southern Runway is fully operational and AAI has already conducted the calibration flights a few months back.
As seen from the images, the airport staff will need to work day and night (24/7) to make it operational by the end of March 2025.
Also, there were some rumors that it would be only a cargo airport, but that is not true, read this article to find the facts: Busting Myths About New Multi-Modal Navi Mumbai International Airport
If you found this article informative then please share this with your friends and colleagues. We will keep you posted with real news and actual ground facts about NMIAL as it’s my home airport and I am extremely inclined on it.
For quick update, NMIA is set to start domestic operations by the end of March 2025 and International by June 2025.
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