Is India set to get its first airport built on an artificial island near Mumbai?

This year, Mumbai, India’s financial capital, is all ready for a new aviation boost. In April, the much-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport is set to be inaugurated. But that’s not all.

Now, reports state that ‘Maximum City’ will also be home to India’s first offshore airport. Plans have been drawn up for a new airport to be constructed on an artificial island near the Vadhvan seaport — roughly 120 km away from the existing airport in the heart of the city.

A Bloomberg report citing people in the know said that this new facility will be similar to
China’s Dalian Jinzhou Bay International Airport and Japan’s Kansai International Airport which are also built on man-made islands.

As per a Bloomberg report, the new airport will be built on an artificial island near the Vadhvan seaport in Palghar, which is on the outskirts of Mumbai. The news comes after the project got initial approvals from environment and defence departments as well as the Maharashtra government.

For those who don’t know, the
Vadhvan seaport is a Rs 76,000 crore project, which when finished, will be one of the world’s top 10 ports. PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for this in August last year. It is slated to be developed in two phases – the first ending in 2030 and the second ending in 2039.

The idea of an airport near the Vadhvan seaport was proposed by Devendra Fadnavis last year. Then the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, he said, “Mumbai will need a third airport in the coming years and at several places in the world airports are built on reclaimed land. My suggestion is for the Centre to consider this proposal on reclaimed land near Vadhvan port.”

Currently, Mumbai has two airports — one operating in the suburban area of Santacruz, and the other expected to be operational in April in
Navi Mumbai.

Interestingly, the plan for a third airport has been on the cards for some time. The previous Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had also mooted the idea of a third airport. The state administration at the time was considering a proposal for a domestic airport at Kelva-Mahim or Dapchari, both in Palghar district.

Moreover, in 2013, engineering services major Netherlands Airport Consultants had proposed a similar idea of building an artificial island off Mumbai, which could house an airport. Netherlands Airport Consultants regional manager Joeri Aulman had proposed to create an island by reclaiming land located north of Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT).

Experts say an airport on an artificial island will take more than a decade to complete. However when completed, it will not only boost connectivity but also avoid land acquisition related delays.

With this airport, the country’s financial capital will have three airports. While the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai is fully operational, the Navi Mumbai Airport will take off in April.

However, officials note that
Mumbai is in need of another airport owing to high footfalls. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai is the second busiest airport in the country after the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Data reveals that in October 2024, Mumbai airport saw 31.6 lakh domestic passengers. Moreover, it can handle 900 flights a day. Experts note that the Mumbai airport has already reached its saturation point, leading to delays. Even Air India cited this issue to be the reason for flight delays. Last September, it issued a statement reading, “Flights departing and arriving at Mumbai have been impacted by runway capacity. In Feb-March, 58 per cent of all delays in Mumbai were caused by these issues. With Mumbai being our second largest hub, with multiple international and domestic connections, the cascading delays to our operations are much greater compared to other domestic carriers.”

However, officials are quick to note that the airport near Vadhvan seaport is not without its challenges. Firstly, the city will have to ensure rapid travel options between the new project and the existing terminal within the city limits. Also, the government will have to justify the investment for such a massive project.

The proposed airport near Vadhvan seaport is similar to the one that China is constructing in the northeast — the Dalian Jinzhou Bay International Airport. Once constructed, it will be the world’s largest airport on a man-made island — spanning a 20 sq km island with four runways and a 9,00,000 square metre passenger terminal.

Officials say that the airport will be completed by 2035 and once done, the airport will handle 80 million passengers annually across 5,40,000 flights.

This isn’t the only airport on an artificial island; the Hong Kong International Airport is and Japan’s Kansai Airport are both constructed on man-made islands respectively. While Hong Kong’s airport spans across 12.48 square km, Japan’s Kansai International Airport measures 10.5 sq km.