Navi Mumbai International Airport starts commercial flight operations
Mumbai (PTI): The Navi Mumbai International Airport commenced commercial flight operations on Thursday, marking a key milestone for India's civil aviation sector, while expanding air travel capacity for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) began operations, with the first flight from Bengaluru, operated by IndiGo, touching down the runway at 8 am.
The aircraft was accorded a ceremonial water cannon salute on arrival, a time-honoured aviation tradition marking NMIA's first commercial touchdown and departure, the airport operator said in a statement.
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The inaugural arrival was followed by the airport's first departure IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad at 08:40 am, completing NMIA's inaugural arrival and departure cycle, it said.
On the first day, IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air will operate domestic services, connecting the new facility to nine destinations across India.
The airport will handle 15 scheduled departures on the first day, it said, adding that during the initial phase, the facility will operate for 12 hours -- between 8 am and 8 pm, with up to 24 scheduled daily departures to 13 destinations and the capability to manage up to 10 aircraft movements (arrivals and departures) per hour, it added.
The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8 this year.
The first phase of the five-phased airport was built at Rs 19,650 crore.
By the time all five phases of the airport are completed, it will be catering to 90 million passengers annually, along with dedicated cargo terminals and multimodal connectivity.
The entire project is being developed in multiple phases under a special purpose vehicle, Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), in which the Adani Group has a 74 per cent stake, and the remaining 26 per cent is owned by CIDCO.
From February next year, operations are planned to progressively scale up to round-the-clock services.
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Rajasthan continues to reel under intense cold wave
Jaipur (PTI): Rajasthan continued to reel under an intense cold wave as icy northwesterly winds swept across large parts of the state.
Fatehpur in the Sikar district remained the coldest place in the state on Wednesday night at 1.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Nagaur at 1.9 degrees.
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Lunkaransar in Bikaner recorded 3.5 degrees Celsius. Dausa recorded a minimum of 4.4 degrees, Churu 4.9 degrees and Alwar 5 degrees Celsius, according to the Met department. Vanasthali in Tonk recorded a minimum of 5.2 degrees Celsius, while Pali and Jhunjhunu stood at 5.7 degrees each. Pilani recorded 5.8 degrees and Ajmer 6.5 degrees Celsius.
In Jaipur, chilly winds pushed the temperature down to 8.8 degrees Celsius, while Jaisalmer recorded 10.9 degrees and Pratapgarh 12.4 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, tea stalls did brisk business while bonfires were seen at several public places on Wednesday night and Thursday morning as residents struggled to cope with the chill.
The Met department said cold wave conditions are likely to continue, with night temperatures expected to remain below normal at several places over the next few days.
