Navi Mumbai Airport: Indigo lands test flight, first landing is hailed as historic

The Airbus A320 aircraft at Navi Mumbai International Airport. Pic/Nimesh Dave

The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) witnessed its most anticipated first commercial landing on the southern runway (RW26) with an IndiGo airline Airbus A320 aircraft on Sunday. "We conducted the commercial landing to ensure that we are ready to land and take off aircraft from the runway and make the airport operational by the stipulated date of completion," said Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials.

The official also disclosed, "The test was conducted by us (AAI) in coordination with Air Traffic Controllers (ATC), NMAI, CIDCO." The IndiGo A320 departed from Mumbai Airport at 12.23 pm and landed NMIA around 2.00 pm. On board were DGCA officials and the IndiGo crew. The pilots performed at least three go-arounds (landing abort procedures) before successfully landing the aircraft on the runway.

The aircraft received a traditional water salute from two Crash Fire Tenders (CFT). Senior representatives from DGCA, AAI, Customs, Immigration, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), CIDCO, IMD, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) were present among the many gathered to witness this milestone. A bystander said, "This is a historic occasion. We are lucky enough to witness this landing. We hope that the airport becomes operational soon so that the people residing here do not have to travel all the way to Mumbai to catch a flight."

Another AAI official told mid-day, "Once the commercial operations start here (NMAI), the air traffic congestion at Mumbai airport will be relieved. This is a big relief for Mumbai airport and even for the airlines, as the reduction in air traffic congestion will also mean improved on-time performance, which will benefit the passengers."

This development came a fortnight after AAI had successfully conducted Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) validation at the airport. On December 12, AAI conducted PAPI system validation, which is crucial for guiding pilots during landing. The system was validated by AAI's Flight Inspection Unit (FIU).

"This system uses a series of lights perpendicular to the runway, emitting red and white signals to help pilots maintain the correct glide path, which is essential to bring the aircraft to the runway threshold for landing. The validation process is essential for pilot safety and involves trials and analysis under both day and night conditions," said sources from AAI FIU.

Previously, on October 11, an Indian Air Force (IAF) C295 aircraft successfully conducted the first test landing at NMAI. This was followed by a flypast of the IAF Sukhoi SU30, which included a two-round left-hand circuit pattern sortie (two rounds in an anticlockwise direction over the airport), after which the Sukhoi SU30 returned to Pune Air Force Base.