Navi Mumbai International Airport Ready For Launch: Here’s How To Get There By Train, Road

The long-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport is finally set for inauguration on Oct. 8, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed. Domestic flight operations are expected to begin by late November or early December.

Earlier this week, NMIA received its Aerodrome Licence for public use from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. This licence authorises the airport to serve as a regular point of landing and departure for aircraft—marking a crucial step towards operational readiness.

Strategically located near Ulwe and Panvel, close to NH 4B and Aamra Marg roads, the airport is designed to be a major connectivity hub for Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Road connectivity: Passengers traveling from different parts of Mumbai and surrounding regions can reach NMIA through different routes.

• Island City (Worli)
  Route: Freeway – Atal Setu – Ulwe – Belapur Road
  Distance: 35 km | Travel Time: ~70 mins

• Thane (Viviana Mall)
  Route: Eastern Express Highway – Mumbra – Airoli Road – Thane-Belapur Road – Belapur – Ulwe Road
  Distance: 34 km | Travel Time: ~60 mins

• Western Suburbs (Goregaon, Oberoi Mall)
  Route: Western Express Highway – Bandra-Worli Sea Link – Freeway – Atal Setu – Ulwe – Belapur Road
  Distance: 45 km | Travel Time: ~95 mins

• Navi Mumbai (Vashi)
  Route: Palm Beach Road – Belapur – Ulwe Road
  Distance: 14 km | Travel Time: ~30 mins

Buses: Passengers can also take state transport or private airport express buses being planned from hubs like Dadar, Thane, Vashi, Panvel, etc.

Railways: The nearest major hub is Panvel Railway Station, on the Central Railway’s harbour line that runs from CSMT–Wadala Road–Mankhurd–Vashi–Nerul–Belapur–Panvel. Passengers from Navi Mumbai and Thane can also use the trans-harbour line. Upcoming Targhar railway station, will also serve as a link between the Harbour line and upcoming coastal metro.

Metro: Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 (Belapur–Pendhar) is already operational. Future expansions—Navi Mumbai Metro Lines 2, 3, and 4—will connect Taloja and Khandeshwar to NMIA. Additionally, Mumbai Metro Line 8, planned to link CSMIA and NMIA, is in the pipeline.

Water taxis or ferries: Plans are underway to introduce water taxis and ferries connecting Mumbai’s coastline to NMIA. A proposed jetty near the airport SEZ will serve as a terminal for speed boats and catamarans.

The greenfield Navi Mumbai International Airport is being developed in five phases. The launch phase will accommodate 20 million passengers per annum or MPPA and handle 0.5 million metric tons or MMT of cargo. At full capacity, NMIA will serve 90 MPPA and manage 3.2 MMT of cargo annually.

The airport will operate in a twin-airport model alongside Mumbai’s CSMIA, similar to global airport pairs such as Dubai’s DXB–DWC, London’s Heathrow–Gatwick, and New York’s JFK–Newark.