Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 30 (ANI): Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has been granted its Aerodrome Licence by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The licence was awarded after NMIA met all necessary safety and regulatory requirements set forth by the aviation authority, according to an official statement released on Tuesday.

The issuance of the Aerodrome Licence marks a significant milestone in NMIA's journey towards operational readiness. This key regulatory approval is a mandatory prerequisite for commencing airport operations.

With the licence in place, NMIA takes a crucial step forward in realising its vision of enhancing regional and international connectivity, while establishing itself as a modern gateway linking Navi Mumbai to the rest of the world.

'The achievement represents a key step in NMIA's progress towards becoming fully operational. With the Aerodrome Licence now in place, NMIA moves closer to its vision of enhancing regional and international connectivity and establishing a modern gateway that will link Navi Mumbai with the rest of the world,' NMIA added in the statement.

On September 23, the Air India group announced its plans to commence commercial flights from Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA, IATA code: NMI), operated by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd., starting from the airport's first phase of operations.

In the initial phase of the new airport's operations, Air India Group's value carrier, Air India Express, will operate 20 daily departures, or 40 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs), from and to Navi Mumbai International Airport, connecting 15 Indian cities.

IndiGo was the first airline to commence commercial flight operations from Adani Group-owned NMIA.

NMIAL is a special-purpose vehicle established for the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of the greenfield international airport project at Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis (Project).

NMIAL is part of Adani Airports Holdings Limited and is owned by Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) (74 per cent shareholding) and City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) (26 per cent shareholding). (ANI)