India plans first offshore airport near Mumbai: report

India is planning to build its first offshore airport near Mumbai, as part of the Centre’s plans to expand infrastructure, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The airport will be located on an artificial island near the Vadhvan seaport, along the western coast of the country, the report said.

The proposed offshore airport will likely be similar to Hong Kong International Airport and Osaka’s Kansai International Airport, both of which are located on manmade islands.

Initial approvals have already been granted by the environment and defense departments, as well as the Maharashtra government, Bloomberg reported, citing people aware of the development.

A meeting last month paved the way for feasibility studies, which will be carried out with help from the Airports Authority of India.

Vadhvan airport will be located about 125km from Mumbai’s existing international airport in Santa Cruz.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the start of construction for the Vadhvan airport at an election rally in Maharashtra last November.

The Vadhvan seaport, which is also under construction, will be three times larger than any other Indian port and will be the deepest in the country.

Contemplating an offshore airport in the Vadhavan port area is a visionary initiative of the government and a major step in the direction to bridge India’s significant infrastructure gap said Dhairyashil Vandekar, Aviation expert and  analyst.  “The proposed offshore airport near Vadhavan port – expected to be one of the world’s busiest and largest seaports, is well thought out and futuristic as this port is poised to drive phenomenal economic growth in the region once it is operational,” Vandekar added.

He said that providing multimodal speedy and efficient connectivity by road, rail and air is crucial. Given the vast scale of operations anticipated at Vadhavan seaport, the region’s potential and Maharashtra’s strategic location, the Vadhavan seaport and its surrounding area can be transformed into an international financial hub and a global logistics, trade, business, transportation and aviation center along the lines of Hong Kong.