The new airport has been planned near Panvel, but Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh has raised concerns over the project destroying about 400 acres of forest.
It may soon become difficult to allow new flights into and out of Mumbai, given congestion at the international airport and delays in building a new one at Navi Mumbai.
Slamming the environment ministry for delaying clearance to the Navi Mumbai project, Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel said on Friday, “We are reaching a point where we have to think whether new flights can be permitted or not.
After the current upgradation, Mumbai international airport’s peak capacity will reach 40 million passengers annually, but more is needed. In 24 hours, we are using peak airport capacity for 15 hours every day.”
Patel said objections from the ministry of environment and forests over the Navi Mumbai project were beyond comprehension. “We can’t be overly obsessive about environmental issues. We can’t give priority to 50-100 acres of degradation over a large infrastructure project.”
The new airport has been planned near Panvel, but Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh has raised concerns over the project destroying about 400 acres of forest.
A Mumbai International Airport Ltd spokesperson pointed out that there were currently 32 aircraft movements per hour.
But when the traffic reaches 40 million passengers, there will be 40 an hour.
“The airport will soon reach saturation point. We handled 26 million passengers in 2009-10 on a land area of 1,849 acres as against Delhi, which handled almost the same number of passengers at more than double the land area available at 5,200 acres.
Even Hyderabad, which handles about seven million passengers a year, has 5,400 acres at its disposal.”
He said Mumbai airport was constrained in terms of land, and therefore in critical areas such as runways, aircraft parking bays and terminal expansion.
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