PM Modi to Inaugurate Navi Mumbai International Airport, a Mega PPP Project by Adani Group

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport on October 8, marking the opening of India’s most ambitious airport built under a public-private partnership (PPP) model led by the Adani Group.

Developed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) — a joint venture where Adani Airports Holdings Ltd holds 74 per cent and CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra) owns the remaining 26 per cent — the greenfield project represents one of India’s largest PPP investments in aviation.

The concession agreement was awarded in October 2017 , and following Adani Group’s acquisition of GVK’s airport assets, it became the project’s primary developer and operator. Larsen & Toubro is the main EPC contractor responsible for engineering and construction.

Spread over 1,160 hectares, the airport’s full build-out will have four terminals and multiple runways, designed for 90 million passengers per year and 3.25 million tonnes of cargo capacity. The cost of Phase I alone is ₹19,647 crore , and the total expenditure for all phases could reach ₹1 lakh crore , making it one of Asia’s most expensive airport ventures.

In comparison, Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Shamshabad) was constructed for just about ₹1,600 crore in its initial phase in 2008, roughly one-tenth the cost when adjusted for inflation. However, the sharply higher cost of Navi Mumbai’s project is attributed to massive land acquisition expenses , extensive resettlement efforts , and modern sustainability and connectivity features that go far beyond those of the earlier airports.

Officials note that Navi Mumbai will be India’s first airport connected through expressways, highways, metro, suburban rail, and water taxi , and will feature facilities for sustainable aviation fuel , as well as an automated people-mover system connecting terminals.

The airport is set to begin commercial operations in December 2025 , complementing the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to handle the region’s rising air traffic and position Mumbai as one of the world’s largest aviation hubs.