As Large as 1,650 Football Fields, Built for 90 Million Flyers: 5 Facts About Navi Mumbai International Airport

The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) in Maharashtra that started operating on Thursday is a significant addition to the aviation infrastructure in India. The greenfield airport has taken years to be placed as a global airport that is future-ready.

NMIA opened its operations with an IndiGo flight on Thursday and was given a water salute on the runway.

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The five imperative facts that characterize the magnitude and the magnitude of NMIA are the following:

1. It has one of the largest airport footprints in India.

NMIA covers approximately 2866 acres of the land thus being one of the biggest airport developments in the country. The area of a typical football field is approximately 1.7 acres in perspective, so the airport size is equal to the combined size of 1,650 football fields.

2. The planned capacity of 90 million passengers

Under full development, NMIA will have an annual capacity of 90 million passengers, and it will increase a lot of capacity in the aviation sector of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region alleviating the congestion at the current Mumbai International Airport.

NMIA at a Glance -

NMIA spans approximately 2,866 acres.
A standard football field is about 1.7 acres. That is equivalent to nearly 1,650 football fields put together.#NMIAReadyToFly #Adani #NaviMumbaiInternationalAirport

— Adani Group (@AdaniOnline) December 24, 2025

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3. A new airport of green field construction

NMIA is a green field project, the initial phase of which is constructed at the expense of 19650 crore. The airport will be built in five phases over a number of years and this will mark a new era in the Indian aviation. The airport has been constructed on the ground up starting with land development, all the way to the runways and terminals.

4. A new international entry to Mumbai

The airport is strategically placed in Navi Mumbai with the likelihood of enhancing the connectivity of India to the rest of the world and in maintaining the economic growth, trade and tourism in the region. The airport will have 2 parallel runways, the terminal buildings, and sophisticated cargo facilities.

5. Lotus-inspired architecture

Based on the national flower of India, the lotus, the terminal design of the airport incorporates cultural symbolism with modernism and sustainability.

This morning, the airport received the first commercial flight and passengers, and thus the construction was completed, and the developer referred to this moment as a proud point in the Indian aviation history.

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