When an airport launch became a moment for the people
With Param Vir Chakra awardees and national sports icons joining workers and youth at the heart of the launch
Last Updated: Dec 26, 2025, 17:35 IST2 min
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Airport inaugurations are usually measured in numbers, runway length, passenger capacity, destinations served. Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) chose a different metric for its opening: people.
On 25 December, the launch of NMIA unfolded not as a closed-door ceremony or a protocol-heavy event, but as a shared civic moment that placed human presence at its centre. Instead of spotlighting infrastructure alone, the airport opened by acknowledging the many communities that shaped its journey and will define its future.
Suryakumar Yadav, Sunil Chhetri along with Mr Gautam Adani and others
A celebratory parade moved through the airport precinct, led by Paramveer Chakra awardees and joined by airport professionals, persons with disabilities from Mitti Café, participants from Adani Saksham and Adani Satvaro, young athletes from VK Football Academy, and civic representatives. Veterans walked alongside youth, builders alongside changemakers turning the inauguration into a visual narrative of inclusion and collective effort.
What made the moment distinctive was its intent. There were no elevated stages or distant audiences. Participants were not spectators but contributors. The airport staff who worked behind the scenes for years found themselves walking at the heart of the launch. Young footballers marched beside national heroes. Persons with disabilities were visible, central, and acknowledged not as symbolism, but as stakeholders.
The parade concluded with the hoisting of the national flag, a quiet but powerful moment that reframed the airport as more than a transit hub. It marked NMIA’s beginning as a shared national asset—one built by many hands and meant for many journeys.
This people-first approach extended beyond the parade. Attendees were personally welcomed and presented with hampers as a gesture of gratitude, reinforcing the idea that presence mattered more than protocol. The atmosphere was calm, respectful, and deeply human allowing emotion to lead where spectacle usually dominates.
In choosing this path, NMIA challenged the norms of how large infrastructure projects are introduced to the public. The launch suggested that progress does not need to be distant or impersonal. It can begin with acknowledgment. It can begin with inclusion. It can begin with people.
As NMIA prepares to welcome the world, its first message was already clear. Before the first flight took off, the airport grounded itself in something enduring community, dignity, and shared pride. In doing so, the launch became more than an opening. It became a moment the people could claim as their own.
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First Published: Dec 26, 2025, 17:41
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