The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is positioned to become a key hub for major airlines and a significant centre for cargo operations, according to its chief operating officer Prabhat Mahapatra.
Speaking at an infrastructure conclave organised by a business chamber, Mahapatra highlighted the potential of the airport to attract leading carriers. “We have air carriers like IndiGo, who are strong and profitable. We have Air India. With these two strong air carriers in India, we see that there is potential to create transport hubs in India,” he said.
Hub airports act as central points where airlines base their operations and route a majority of their flights, enabling travellers to reach destinations with fewer transfers. Examples include airports in Dubai, Amsterdam, London, Hong Kong and Singapore. Mahapatra emphasised that NMIA could play a similar role, leveraging India’s geographic position to connect flights from the east and far east to the west.
He noted that unlike global cities such as New York and London, which operate multiple airports, India has so far focused on origin–destination travel. “If you look at Dubai or some airports in the Middle East, they thrive on the transfer revenue,” Mahapatra said.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region will be the first in India to have two airports. NMIA also plans to extend its reach beyond the region, connecting rural and remote areas of the state. An NMIA official explained that cities like Kolhapur and Solapur, which have airports but lack adequate connections due to congestion at Mumbai airport, could see more flights once NMIA becomes operational. “Those airports will get service and traffic and they will be energised. And that is how this will promote regional development also,” the official said.
Mahapatra added that NMIA would not only focus on passenger services but also on cargo. The facility will be capable of handling 3.2 million metric tonnes of cargo annually, further boosting trade and economic activity in the region.
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