NMIA takes off: Modi hails it as Asia’s biggest connectivity hub

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the much-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) on Wednesday, seven years after laying its foundation stone. This phase cost Rs19,646 crore. While he described the new airport as Asia's biggest connectivity hub, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed that the airport will increase the state's gross domestic product (GDP) by 1%.

- Dhairya Gajara & Raina Assainar

He landed at the airport at 2.45pm and declared the airport open through a digital toran being put up at the entrance of the terminal building and later walked through the spanky building accompanied by governor Acharya Devvrat, CM Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, Union civil aviation minister KRM Naidu, minister of state Murlidhar Mohol and industrialist Gautam Adani whose company has executed the project in collaboration with CIDCO.