The Vadhvan port — a Greenfield all-weather port is coming up in Vadhavan for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ground-breaking ceremony last year
Mumbai: Two major initiatives - a third airport for Mumbai near the upcoming Vadhavan Port and the night landing facility at Shirdi Airport - have found a place in the Maharashtra Government’s budget for the financial year 2025-26.
Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar, in his address to the Vidhan Sabha, indicated that the new airport would be situated near Wadhwan port, which is expected to become operational by 2030. Vadhvan port is located in the Palghar district of Maharashtra.
Vadhavan Port, the proposed deep seaport in Palghar district, will see the state contributing 26 per cent of the total project cost, said Pawar while announcing plans for the third Mumbai airport as part of the port’s development. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train station will also be situated near the airport, he added.
The Vadhvan port — a Greenfield all-weather port is coming up in Vadhavan for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ground-breaking ceremony last year. The total project cost, including the land acquisition component is Rs 76,220 crore.
In addition, Pawar also announced that the Shirdi Airport will soon have a ‘night landing facility.’ Every day, more than fifty thousand devotees and tourists visit Shirdi, where a world famous temple dedicated to Sai Baba is located. The numbers easily cross a lakh and above on Thursdays, Sundays and holidays.
The night landing at Shirdi airport is likely to be a boon for the devotees, who wish to attend the early morning Kakad Aarti at the temple. The Kakad Aarti, the first aarti of the day, is a major attraction of the devotees that is performed at 4.30 am.
Currently, Mumbai has two major airports: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). CSMIA, located in the heart of Mumbai, is one of India’s busiest and most important international gateways, handling millions of passengers each year.
Around 35 kilometers from the existing CSMIA, the NMIA is expected to ease pressure on Mumbai’s current infrastructure. Once fully operational, it is poised to handle up to 90 million passengers annually. Nearly 85 percent of the construction for Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL) has been finalized and trial runs have also been successfully conducted.
