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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.

India’s Oldest Queer Film Festival DIALOGUES Returns: A Sneak Peek

Updated: Nov 29, 2024

DIALOGUES

Sappho for Equality, Pratyay Gender Collective, and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan collectively organise DIALOGUES, the oldest queer film festival every year. It is the oldest queer film festival in India, running since 2007. This is a non-ticketed, non-commercial festival aimed at raising awareness of queer and trans-lived experiences.


Over two days, the festival will screen 14 films from countries like Germany, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam, amongst others. It will present different genres such as short films, documentaries, feature films, romance, and docu-features. Free passes for entry access for everyone have been arranged.


DIALOGUES was launched in 2007 as an annual cultural event in Calcutta that left a void when it came to queer films, and more importantly, a conversation around it. The festival focuses on showcasing feature films, shorts, and videos from national and international filmmakers on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, providing a much-needed platform for independent film and video from India and abroad.


From organising the last print screening on 16mm projection at the Fassbinder retrospective to hosting retrospectives on Derek Jarman and Agnes Varda, DIALOGUES has covered a chequered path. Though the primary identity of DIALOGUES is that of a queer film festival, it is consistently seeking to include socially relevant themes across the spectrum. The festival is a celebration of writers, directors, and actors and their work dealing with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex themes and issues-but does not limit itself to narrow definitions of these identities. DIALOGUES believes that the Film Festival is yet another tool in the larger struggle.


Let us take a peek at two of the films on the schedule, Wakhri and Jodi.


Wakhri, from Pakistan, directed by Iram Parveen Bilal is an Urdu language film. It talks about Noor, a young widow who leads a double life. During the day, she is a committed teacher in a primary school. At night, she is an important member of Lahore’s queer nightclub scene. On the one hand, she is worried about the reduction in the number of girls admitted to the school, while on the other, she dreams of establishing a full-fledged women’s school that runs against established social norms. She combines within her a life she loves to lead in secret and the mission to open a school with her own funding. How is this possible? Though her best friend Gucchi pushes her in her endeavours, social media spills over, and she finds her world collapsing around her.


Jodi, meaning “If” in Bengali and directed by Tathagata Ghosh, has just returned from a big tour of big film festivals armed with awards. “If” is a 26-minute short film that presents a short, subtle, but very powerful film on love between two young women still looked down upon by the urban middle class to which these two young women, Jaya and Fatima, belong. Jaya is a typically middle-class young girl who is secretly in love with Fatima, a Muslim young girl who lives a free life, smoking, and drinking, and is liberated and not constrained by old values like Jaya. Jaya and Fatima, two women in love, are separated because of Jaya's marriage arranged by her conservative father. Finally, they seek their own solution to the problem.


Says Ghosh about the film, “For me, the film is about relationships more than anything else. I simply wanted to create a feeling of love and loss within the audience. I have grown up watching films by Rituparno Ghosh, and this film is in that direction, I can say. Films like "Unishe April," "Raincoat," "Abohoman," "Memories in March," and even Aparna Sen's "Paromitar Ekdin" were my inspirations. I wanted to build that world I have seen around me, a middle-class Bengali household, and the characters in them. I wanted the film to feel like a Bengali short story, like the ones I have grown up reading. The writings of Pratibha Basu, Moti Nandy, and Sunil Ganguly among others have had a huge impact on me. This film is for the souls who have loved and lost and gone through that feeling of helplessness when our loved ones move away from us. So that was my motivation and inspiration, I can say.”


The directors might not be gay themselves but are empathetic with the issues faced by these groups just because they think, feel, and experience life differently. Let us wish them all the happiness they deserve. Films portraying gay and lesbian relationships in Indian cinema are of two kinds. One represents the truly Indian films, while the other comes from diaspora filmmakers from South Asia. Interestingly, the message they carry is similar.


(The author is a senior film critic based in Kolkata. Views personal.)

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