Two Busiest Indian Cities to Get New Secondary Airports

MUMBAI— Two of India’s most anticipated airport projects are finally nearing completion. Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) and Noida International Airport (DXN) are expected to open within months, marking a turning point in the country’s aviation growth.

Delhi (DEL) will soon become a two-airport city, with Noida International (DXN) projected to begin operations between October and November. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s second airport, Navi Mumbai International (NMI), will ease pressure on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM), which has long exceeded its designed capacity.

Photo: Utkarsh Thakkar (Vimanspotter)

Two New Airports at the Busiest Cities

Large global cities rarely function with a single airport. Growing passenger volumes and expanding economies naturally create demand for multiple hubs.

New York relies on John F Kennedy (JFK), Newark (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA), and Teterboro (TEB). London has Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), and City (LCY). Tokyo operates both Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND).

India has lagged in this regard. For decades, Navi Mumbai and Noida airports were stuck in planning stages. Today, their urgency is clear.

Mumbai’s main airport handled 55.12 million passengers in the last financial year, well over its original design capacity. On November 11, 2023, it recorded 1,032 air traffic movements in a single day, making it the busiest single-runway airport in the world.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (DEL), while still expanding, will also eventually hit its limits. Operators believe commissioning Noida International (DXN) ahead of schedule ensures readiness when that tipping point arrives, ET reported.

Photo: HOK

A Wider Shift in Indian Aviation

The push for secondary airports is not limited to Mumbai and Delhi. Manohar International (GOX) in North Goa began operations in 2023, showing how new capacity can meet latent demand. Other cities are following the trend.

• Bengaluru (BLR): Tamil Nadu is pursuing a new airport in Hosur, while Karnataka is evaluating land south-west of the city.
• Chennai (MAA): A new airport has received in-principle approval for Parandur in Kanchipuram district.
• Pune (PNQ): Proposals for a new airport remain stalled due to land acquisition disputes.
• Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR): There are discussions of a third airport near the planned Vadhavan Port project.

This wave of expansion reflects India’s faster-than-expected passenger growth over the past 15 years, a pace that surprised even airport executives.

Photo: Mumbai CSMIA Airport Adani X page

Airports as Cultural Gateways

The new generation of Indian airports is moving away from utilitarian designs. Modern terminals are now treated as cultural landmarks that showcase local identity.

Mumbai’s T2, with its peacock-inspired architecture, and Kochi International, with Kerala’s traditional design elements, set early examples. Bengaluru’s T2 followed with a biophilic, garden-inspired design, earning praise for reflecting the city’s character.

Navi Mumbai International (NMI) continues this design philosophy, with a lotus-inspired terminal, complementing BOM’s bird motif. These choices position airports not just as transport nodes but as first impressions of a city’s culture.

Photo: Noida International Airport (NIA)

Higher Costs, Higher Expectations

Globally, secondary airports often compete on price. London Luton (LTN) and Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK) are cheaper alternatives to their primary hubs. India’s model, however, appears different.

Navi Mumbai (NMI) and Noida (DXN) are expected to levy higher user development fees (UDF) compared to their established counterparts. Operators justify this by citing initial low passenger volumes, which require higher charges to cover infrastructure costs. They argue fees will normalize as traffic builds.

Unlike bare-bones secondary hubs abroad, India’s new airports promise full-service, modern terminals. Still, the situation underscores the absence of a true low-cost terminal model in India, despite the country’s dominant low-cost airline market.

Photo: Bhavya Velani, Aviation A2Z

Bottom Line

The launch of Navi Mumbai (NMI) and Noida (DXN) will reshape Indian aviation. For the first time, both Mumbai and Delhi will have alternate hubs to balance growing demand. If successful, they could set the template for secondary airports across other Indian metros.

The real test will be whether higher charges, cultural design elements, and future-ready capacity align with passenger expectations in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.

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