Navi Mumbai International Airport operational now; first flight landing gets water cannon salute
The Navi Mumbai International Airport started operations on Thursday. The first plane to land here will be an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad. This airport was built in public private partnership between Adani Group and City & Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra. Gautam Adani and his son Jeet will be personally present at the airport to welcome arriving passengers and hand over boarding passes to departing people.
New Delhi: The Navi Mumbai International Airport, operated by Adani group, began commercial operations Thursday. The first flight to reach the airport was an IndiGo passenger plane from Bengaluru. A total of 30 flights, split between arrivals and departures, is set to operate from this newly opened airport on the first day.
IndiGo flight 6E460 landed at the Navi Mumbai International Airport at 8 am. The arrival of the first commercial flight was marked by a water cannon salute, a ceremonial aviation tradition in which fire trucks spray water over an aircraft as it taxis.
A report in the Economic Times quoting sources, said that flights to and from 9 destinations are set to operate from this airport. These destinations include Hyderabad, Goa and Bengaluru, according to the reports.
IndiGo, Air India and several other airlines to launch flights from new airport
While the first flight at this destination will be an IndiGo airlines plane from Hyderabad, other airlines including Akasa Air, Air India Express and Star Air will also launch services from the airport.
The airport is expected to handle at least 4,000 passengers on the first day itself, said sources. Adani Group Chairman, Gautam Adani and Group Director, Jeet Adani will be present at the airport on Thursday and will hand over boarding passes to departing passengers and will welcome those who arrive here on the first flight from Hyderabad.
The Greenfield Airport has been built on a public private partnership model. Adani Airports Holdings owns 74% while City & Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) holds a 26% stake.
While most flights to and from the airport will be operated by IndiGo, other airlines like Akasa will have flights from Navi Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Goa, Kochi and Delhi. Similarly Air India will operate flights to Bengaluru and Delhi from here.
Most flights on the first day are scheduled to depart for Delhi, from here. Three major operators, IndiGo, Akasa and Air India will operate 3 daily flights to Delhi from this airport. Star Air will operate flights to Goa from this new airport, according to sources.