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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

NMIA set for commercial take-off on December 25

Long-term expansion plans take shape Mumbai: Even as long-term expansion plans gather momentum, Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is preparing to mark a defining milestone with the commencement of commercial operations from December 25, 2025. Sources familiar with the development confirmed that the first flight is scheduled to land at NMIA at around 8.30 am from Bengaluru, operated by IndiGo. The same aircraft will subsequently depart for Delhi, symbolically placing the greenfield...

NMIA set for commercial take-off on December 25

Long-term expansion plans take shape Mumbai: Even as long-term expansion plans gather momentum, Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is preparing to mark a defining milestone with the commencement of commercial operations from December 25, 2025. Sources familiar with the development confirmed that the first flight is scheduled to land at NMIA at around 8.30 am from Bengaluru, operated by IndiGo. The same aircraft will subsequently depart for Delhi, symbolically placing the greenfield airport on India’s aviation map and formally integrating it into the country’s busiest air corridors. This operational launch comes at a time when the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the project’s nodal planning authority, has initiated the process to appoint a consultant for conducting a geotechnical feasibility study for a proposed third runway at NMIA. The parallel movement of near-term operational readiness and long-term capacity planning underlines the strategic importance of the airport, not just as a secondary facility to Mumbai, but as a future aviation hub in its own right. The December 25 launch date carries significance beyond symbolism. NMIA has been envisioned for over two decades as a critical solution to the capacity constraints at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which operates close to saturation. With limited scope for further expansion at Mumbai’s existing airport, NMIA’s entry into operations is expected to ease congestion, rationalise flight schedules and improve overall passenger experience across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Modest Operations Initial operations are expected to be modest, focusing on select domestic routes, with Bengaluru and Delhi being logical starting points given their high passenger volumes and strong business connectivity with Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Aviation experts note that starting with trunk routes allows operators and airport systems to stabilise operations, fine-tune processes and gradually scale up capacity. IndiGo’s choice as the first operator also reflects the airline’s dominant market share and its strategy of early-mover advantage at new airports. While NMIA’s first phase includes two runways, the initiation of a geotechnical feasibility study for a third runway highlights planners’ expectations of robust long-term demand. CIDCO’s move to appoint a consultant at this early stage suggests that authorities are keen to future-proof the airport, learning from the capacity limitations faced by CSMIA. A third runway, if found technically and environmentally feasible, would significantly enhance NMIA’s ability to handle peak-hour traffic, support parallel operations and attract international long-haul flights over time. The feasibility study will play a critical role in determining soil conditions, land stability, construction challenges and environmental sensitivities, particularly given Navi Mumbai’s complex terrain and proximity to mangroves and water bodies. Experts point out that such studies are essential to avoid cost overruns and execution delays, which have historically plagued large infrastructure projects in the region. From an economic perspective, the operationalisation of NMIA is expected to act as a catalyst for growth across Navi Mumbai and adjoining regions. Improved air connectivity is likely to boost commercial real estate, logistics parks, hospitality and tourism, while also strengthening the case for ancillary infrastructure such as metro lines, road corridors and airport-linked business districts. The timing of the airport’s opening also aligns with broader infrastructure upgrades underway in the MMR, including new highways and rail connectivity, which could amplify NMIA’s impact. However, challenges remain. Smooth coordination between airlines, ground handling agencies, security forces and air traffic control will be critical during the initial phase. Any operational hiccups could affect public perception of the new airport, making the first few weeks crucial. Additionally, the transition of flights from CSMIA to NMIA will need careful calibration to ensure passenger convenience and airline viability. As NMIA prepares to welcome its first aircraft on December 25, the simultaneous push towards planning a third runway signals a clear message: the airport is not just opening for today’s needs, but is being positioned to serve the region’s aviation demands for decades to come.

Messed up investigation puzzles ex top cops

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Mumbai: A pall of gloom pervades the state’s police and security circles after yesterday’s Bombay High Court judgement that entirely overturned the trial court’s verdict by acquitting all the 12 convicts in the macabre 7/11, 2006 multiple bomb blasts in Mumbai suburban trains, killing 187 commuters.


Shaking their heads in disbelief, retired IPS officers and other senior police personnel termed the outcome as ‘shocking’, ‘unexpected’, ‘shameful’, etc., and they wonder who would be fall guys for the botched 7/11 probe that tumbled out in the piercing 667-page order delivered by Justice Anil S. Kilor and Justice Shyam C. Chandak. 


Ex-IPS and intelligence officers like Dr. P. S. Pasricha, S. M. Mushrif, Vikram Bokey, Shirish Inamdar and others who spoke with ‘The Perfect Voice’ without mincing words described how the verdict is a veritable slap on the investigation teams and the legal advisors involved in the probe. 


The judgement seemed to have inadvertently opened up the schisms within the state IPS lobbies as some made no bones of the discomfiture faced by their former colleagues, and the political establishment of the time. 


Simultaneously, the legal fraternity is abuzz with many lawyers and experts poring deeply into the verdict, the judicial nuances and its ramifications for the future, as many even grudgingly praised the judges for their ‘unorthodox findings’.


Experts speak exclusively with ‘The Perfect Voice’

Ex-DGP - Dr. P. S. Pasricha: Heading the Maharashtra Police at that time (2006), Dr. Pasricha gently said that he was not directly connected with the 7/11 probe which was handled by the then Mumbai Commissioner of Police A. N. Roy. Declining to comment on the verdict, Dr. Pasricha said that just as the (city) police team had grabbed all the credit for it then, now they should reply to the court outcome, too.

 

Ex-Additional Deputy Commissioner, State Intelligence Department Shirish Inamdar: This is unprecedented that an entire verdict of the Trial (lower) Court in a sensitive terror case has been quashed and set aside. 

“The questions that arise are the quality of evidence and the police’s skills to present it before the courts, the Trial Court’s ability in weighing that evidence. The HC ruling says that MCOCA was applied mechanically and not with an application of the mind. Why and how was it done as there are separate laws like POTA, TADA, UAPA, etc. for terrorism and such terror cases can’t be tried under MCOCA,” said Inamdar.


Ex-IGP Nagpur Range - S. M. Mushrif: All this cannot be erroneous. I feel that the arrests of those (accused) Muslim youths were intentionally done, the Trial Court verdict falls in the same category. 

“There was not an iota of evidence in the (7/11) case with the police, barring the confessions of the accused-convicts, who now stand cleared off all charges. Who was the legal advisor to the police who guided or helped in the 7/11 case investigations?” demanded Mushrif. 


Saying this is not the only case, but there are other cases in which the investigators deliberately or mistakenly botched, Mushrif asked how the government will deal with this to prevent recurrences.

 

Ex-DCP (IX) Vikram Bokey: He cautioned that the governments, at the Centre, Maharashtra and other states, ‘must not take the verdict lightly as it will have ramifications all over the country’, besides eroding public faith. 


“If this is the fate of the biggest railway terrorism in the world which claimed over 187 innocents, questions will be raised on the investigations, not only in this case, but in cases probed by other security/specialized agencies like the ATS, NIA, CBI, ED, NCB, or more,” warned Bokey, with a dozen encounters of notorious criminals to his credit.


Citing examples, Bokey added that doubts will naturally rise in public minds over the credibility of long-winded investigations into some high-profile cases in the recent past, which finally proved to be duds in the courts.


Inamdar urged that the government should appoint a commission of inquiry to probe the entire 7/11 case investigation team, affix the full responsibility and take action for the monumental lapses. 


Bokey and Mushrif aver that though the state has announced it will move the Supreme Court, “who knows how long it will take and what would be its outcome”. 


Hence, the government must initiate simultaneous efforts to find out the ‘real truth’ behind the 7/11 terror strikes without resorting to a witch-hunt targeting a particular group/community, and ensure justice is done to the victims.

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