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India might soon establish its first airport on the sea. The initial study for Vadhavan Airport, located next to the new Vadhvan Deep Sea Port, is anticipated to be finished by May 2026. This new airport, the third in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), intends to reduce traffic at the current airports in the financial hub. The study will determine the precise site, size, number of runways, and other characteristics of this airport. The research started in the middle of 2025. Grant Thornton and Nippon Koei India are conducting the study for the Maharashtra Airport Development Company. Results are expected in six to nine months, and following that, construction may start sometime in 2026, making Vadhavan the third major airport for Mumbai after Navi Mumbai and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International.
The Vadhavan airport is designed as a facility on the sea that will be constructed on land reclaimed from the ocean. It will connect various forms of transport including sea, air, rail, and road to accommodate passengers and cargo linked to the nearby deep-sea port. This infrastructure will also support nearby logistics centers like Bhiwandi and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The project aims to enhance local trade and increase India's capacity for handling containers by 23.2 million TEUs through the port. It will also connect with significant infrastructure projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train. Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis indicated in July 2025 that the construction for Vadhavan Airport could begin by 2026, depending on how quickly the initial study and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) are completed. Full-scale building will require funding, approvals, and positive results from the study after the DPR. As of now, the project, which collaborates with the development of Vadhavan Port, is still in the planning phase.
Vadhavan Port is also not operational or completely ready as of December 2025. This new deep-draft seaport is being developed in the Palghar district of Maharashtra, about 150 km north of Mumbai. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) oversees the port through a special purpose vehicle in partnership with the Maharashtra Maritime Board. Construction for Vadhavan Port is currently in progress. The foundation was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 30, 2024. This project aims for a capacity of 298 million metric tons per year, which includes 23.2 million TEUs of containers. The first phase of the development is targeting a capacity of 6.85 to 10 million TEUs by 2029-2030. The total cost of the project is Rs 76,220 crore, covering 17,471 hectares, and it will accommodate various types of cargo such as Ro-Ro, dry bulk, and liquids.
The first stage of construction began with early tasks such as protecting the shoreline. Recent news includes the approval for connections by rail and road, which features a 105-km freight route to the Samruddhi Expressway. The completion of the first phase is anticipated by 2029-30, while the second phase aims to be finished between 2035 and 2040. The Vadhavan Port will consist of nine container terminals that are each 1,000 meters long, four berths for liquid cargo, four multipurpose berths (including those for coastal use), a berth for the Coast Guard, and one Ro-Ro berth, all situated on 1,448 hectares of land that has been reclaimed. This infrastructure project aims to relieve congestion at Mumbai's busy Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. The Vadhavan Port is set to manage large amounts of cargo, enhancing trade effectiveness and lowering logistics expenses for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). It will support direct access for large container ships and reduce the need to transfer cargo through foreign centers like Singapore.
Locations such as Palghar, Boisar, Virar, Dahanu, and Manor are experiencing increases in land prices due to a rise in demand for places to live, work, and for commercial or storage purposes, with land near highways priced at up to Rs 500 per square foot. Developers like Godrej are starting new projects for plots (with prices starting at Rs 79.99 lakh), coinciding with improvements in infrastructure, but investors should ensure they check property titles and approvals before making purchases. The Vadhavan Port is expected to create around 10-12 lakh direct and indirect jobs. This project will notably help people in Palghar but will also provide job prospects for residents of Greater Mumbai in areas like logistics (warehousing, trucking), port operations (handling cargo, docking), clusters of manufacturing (with 32 industries including chemicals and textiles), construction, and related services (such as health facilities and markets) during both phases one and two. The port's location allows it to connect with freight routes, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train, and the Coastal Road extension to Virar-Dahanu, making daily travel simpler for office workers in management, engineering, and finance jobs. Officials mention that all requests should be submitted to Vadhvan Port Project Ltd to minimize the risk of scams.
