Navi Mumbai Airport Set to Launch Operations Next Year with Small ATC Unit

Navi Mumbai, 22nd October 2024: The upcoming Navi Mumbai airport is set to commence commercial operations next year, but its air traffic control (ATC) unit will be relatively small, staffed by around 40 air traffic controllers. According to a senior ATC official who preferred to remain anonymous, a significant portion of the ATC workload will be managed from the Mumbai ATC, a temporary arrangement expected to last approximately a year or until air traffic levels at Navi Mumbai increase.

Initially, the ATC at Navi Mumbai will feature only a tower controller, responsible for managing aircraft during the early stages of takeoff and the final stages of landing. This controller will oversee landing and takeoff clearances and will primarily manage ground movements.

“Flights departing from Navi Mumbai will be directed by its tower controller until they reach an altitude of 2,000 feet. At that point, pilots will switch to a radio communication channel operated by the approach controller at the Mumbai ATC in Sahar. Conversely, aircraft approaching for landing at Navi Mumbai will be managed by the Mumbai approach controller until approximately 3,900 feet before being handed off to the tower controller at Navi Mumbai,” the official explained.

This unique operational setup is feasible due to the proximity of the runways at the two airports, situated about 15 kilometres apart. In contrast, other urban areas, like the Delhi-NCR region, feature airports that are much farther apart, such as the 80 kilometres separating Delhi airport from the upcoming Noida International Airport (Jewar airport), which will have its own independent ATC when it opens next April.

The shared airspace between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai allows controllers at the Mumbai ATC to manage traffic for both airports effectively. To illustrate their closeness, consider Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, which has six runways; the distance between its Polderbaan and Oostbaan runways is 7 kilometres, roughly half the distance between the runways of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports.

Currently, the Airports Authority of India, responsible for India’s air navigation services, has compiled a list of controllers who will be assigned to the Navi Mumbai ATC. “These controllers have been transferred from various airports across India. Some have already relocated to Mumbai and are presently working at the Mumbai ATC,” a source confirmed.