A private jet from Ahmedabad has made aviation history this weekend by becoming the first aircraft to officially land at the long-awaited Navi Mumbai Airport. Operating under a Non-Scheduled Operator Permit for charter flights, the jet touched down at 10:20 am on Saturday and departed for Ahmedabad at 12:40 am on Sunday, completing the first official runway operation at the greenfield airport.
Although an IndiGo Airbus 320 landed on the main runway 26 in December 2024, it was only a validation flight to test the airport’s navigation systems. Earlier, in October, an IAF Airbus C-295 conducted a symbolic landing without using the airport’s ground-based navigation aids.
“The Airports Authority of India granted approval for the landing of a non-scheduled passenger flight at Navi Mumbai on September 19,” said a source. To accommodate the flight, AAI cancelled its earlier NOTAM that indicated the runway closure till 11:59 pm on September 20 and issued a new notice allowing operations from 8:30 am to 11 am on Saturday and for three hours on Sunday.
The private jet, a Pilatus PC-24 registered VT-APV, departed Ahmedabad at 9 am, overflying the Gulf of Khambhat and the Arabian Sea before crossing into Mumbai over Bandra and Sion. Flying south of the city airport, it approached Navi Mumbai Airport from the south, turned north and west, and landed on runway 28 at 10:20 am. It returned to Ahmedabad via the land route after its departure early Sunday morning. Footage of the landing was shared on social media, capturing the historic moment.
Industry experts note that more firsts are expected at the new Navi Mumbai Airport, with the most anticipated being the first scheduled commercial airline flight. While the Prime Minister is set to inaugurate the airport and its terminal building on September 30, full commissioning is expected to take a few more months after security checks and other procedures.
The first fare-paying airline flight will mark the most significant milestone, signaling a major capacity boost for Mumbai’s heavily used airport infrastructure.
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