Zaha Hadid Architects to build Navi Mumbai International Airport

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been appointed as the architect of the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) following an international design competition.

ZHA’s appointment has been awarded by GVK, operators of Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji International (CSI) Airport that is fast approaching capacity. In 2017 GVK formed a joint venture with the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the development arm of the State of Maharashtra, India to build the new airport.

Navi Mumbai International Airport is a long-awaited addition to Mumbai and Maharashtra’s transport infrastructure and integral to sustaining the region’s continued growth. The foundation stone for the new airport was laid by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 February 2018, with the project placed on a fast-track programme of completion.

Prime Minister Modi said at the foundation stone ceremony, “The aviation sector worldwide is moving very fast... we cannot afford to lag. For 70 years, there was no aviation policy in India, which we have now implemented to provide all-round connectivity.”

Demand for air travel in India makes its aviation sector amongst the world’s fastest growing. The country’s airlines currently operate almost 450 passenger planes, with 900 additional aircraft ordered for delivery in the coming years, representing more than 200% growth.

With a total planned capacity of 60+ million passengers per year, NMIA will be built in Navi Mumbai, across Mumbai Harbour, connected to the city by the planned Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and rail links with the local and national networks. 

As part of its commission, ZHA will be responsible for the overall long-term design and execution of NMIA’s Terminal 1, Air Traffic Control Tower and associated landside access.

Cristiano Ceccato, ZHA Project Director, said, “We are very proud to have been awarded the Navi Mumbai International Airport that will be a much needed addition to Mumbai’s infrastructure and an additional gateway to India. Our ambition is for the design to speak to India’s future, while celebrating its present and honouring its past.”

Mouzhan Majidi, ZHA CEO, said, “Navi Mumbai International Airport is a transformative and unique project and we look forward to our partnership with GVK, working together to develop NMIA into one of the most sustainable passenger-centric airports in the world, and the opportunity to contribute to India’s continued growth and success.”

NMIA Information
Concessionaire: GVK
Location: Navi Mumbai, State of Maharashtra, India
Architect and Master Planner: Zaha Hadid Architects, London, UK
Total planned capacity: 60+ million passenger per annum

Prime Minister Modi at NMIA foundation stone ceremony (Getty Images)

ZHA Project Team

Directors: Mouzhan Majidi, Charles Walker, Patrik Schumacher
Project Director: Cristiano Ceccato
Project Designer: Paulo Flores
Project Architect: Shao-wei Huang
Project Lead, Architectural Design: Karoly Markos
Project Lead, Terminal Infrastructure Design: Leo Alves
Project Lead, CTC, Landside and Airside Master Plan: Ashwin Shah

Project Team: Ariss Majid, Clara Martins, Dominic Vadra-Edwards, Eckart Schwerdtfeger, Fernando Alvarenga, Harry Ibbs, Jakub Klaska, Li Jin, Maria Avrami, Maria Touloupou, Maria Tsironi, Mariana Custodio Dos Santos, Mark Winnington, Mauro Sabiu, Michail Desyllas, Paul Bart, Sai Prateik Bhasgi, Saman Dadgostar, Seungho Yeo, Sharan Sundar, Takehiko Iseki, Zohra Rougab