PM Modi inaugurates Navi Mumbai International Airport
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Phase 1 of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), a landmark Greenfield project built at a cost of around Rs 19,650 crore.
The new airport, spread over 1,160 hectares, is set to significantly boost India’s aviation capacity and ease the heavy traffic burden on Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Before the formal inauguration, the Prime Minister took a walkthrough of the newly constructed facility.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the Navi Mumbai International Airport, PM Modi said, “Now Mumbai has a new airport, which will be Asia’s largest connectivity hub.”
“Navi Mumbai International Airport is a project which reflects ‘Viksit Bharat’…With this new airport, farmers in Maharashtra will be connected to the markets of the Middle East and Europe. This will attract investment and new businesses to the area,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the impact of the UDAN scheme, his government’s regional airport development programme. PM Modi said, “Due to UDAN Yojana, lakhs of people have taken to the skies for the first time in the past decade, fulfilling their dreams. The new airports and the UDAN scheme for affordable air travel have made air travel easier in the country.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, and industrialist Gautam Adani were present at Navi Mumbai airport launch.