In a landmark development for India’s aviation and urban infrastructure,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on Tuesday inaugurated the
Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA)
— one of the country’s largest greenfield airport projects — and
Phase 2B of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line)
. Developed at a cost of
₹19,650 crore
, NMIA is located in
Ulwe
, Raigad district, and has been implemented under a
public-private partnership (PPP)
between the
City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd. (CIDCO)
and
Mumbai International Airport Ltd.
, a subsidiary of
Adani Airports Holdings Ltd.
Designed to handle
20 million passengers annually
in its first phase, NMIA’s long-term capacity is projected to reach
90 million passengers per year
, placing it among Asia’s busiest airports, according to the
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)
. Spread across
1,160 hectares
, the airport features a
3,700-metre runway
, advanced terminals, and multimodal connectivity through highways, suburban rail, and the upcoming
Navi Mumbai Metro
. Once fully operational, the airport will work in tandem with
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA)
, transforming the Mumbai Metropolitan Region into a
dual-airport hub
comparable to global cities such as London, New York, and Tokyo. Cargo operations are also a key focus, with the facility expected to handle
3.2 million metric tonnes of freight annually
, offering a direct trade link for India’s western industrial corridor. The airport incorporates sustainability features including
47 MW of solar power
,
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) storage
, and
electric vehicle (EV) bus services
. It will also be India’s first airport connected by
Water Taxi
, providing a unique multimodal travel option. Later in the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated
Phase 2B of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line)
, connecting
Acharya Atre Chowk
to
Cuffe Parade
, built at an estimated cost of
₹12,200 crore
. With this, the entire
33.5-kilometre fully underground corridor
from Cuffe Parade to Aarey — constructed at a total cost of
₹37,270 crore
— has been dedicated to the nation. The Metro Line 3 will serve an estimated
13 lakh passengers daily
through 27 stations, providing direct connectivity to key business and administrative districts such as
Fort, Kala Ghoda, Marine Drive, Mantralaya, RBI, BSE, and Nariman Point
. Integrated with other urban transport systems — including suburban rail, monorail, and other metro lines — the project is expected to
significantly ease congestion
in Mumbai’s core city areas. In a further push towards
integrated urban mobility
, Modi also launched the
“Mumbai One” App
, a unified platform for 11 transport operators, including Mumbai Metro Lines 1, 2A, 3, and 7, the Monorail, Navi Mumbai Metro, Suburban Railways, and multiple municipal bus services. The app offers
mobile ticketing, real-time updates, multimodal trip planning, and SOS features
, designed to simplify commuting across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Additionally, the Prime Minister launched the
Short-Term Employability Program (STEP)
, spearheaded by the
Department of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation, Maharashtra
. The program will operate in
400 Government ITIs
and
150 Government Technical High Schools
, introducing
2,500 new training batches
, including
364 for women
and
408 focused on emerging technologies
such as
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Electric Vehicles (EVs), Solar Energy, and Additive Manufacturing
. The day’s inaugurations, government officials said, reflect the Centre’s and Maharashtra’s joint focus on building
world-class infrastructure
,
sustainable growth
, and
future-ready employment ecosystems
.
