India has taken a significant step toward expanding its aviation infrastructure with the approval to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the country’s first offshore airport in Maharashtra. The proposed airport will be located near Kore Beach in Palghar district and is planned as the third international airport serving the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
A pre-feasibility study has found the project to be technically viable, and the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC) has been entrusted with overseeing its development. The airport is planned with two parallel runways and is expected to handle up to 90 million passengers annually along with 3 million metric tonnes of cargo, making it one of India’s largest aviation hubs.
The project is designed to enhance multimodal connectivity through links with the Uttan–Virar Sea Link, Mumbai–Ahmedabad Bullet Train, Vadodara–Mumbai Expressway, and the upcoming Vadhavan Port, strengthening regional logistics and trade. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with operations likely to commence in the early 2030s.
Once completed, India’s first offshore airport is expected to significantly boost aviation capacity, improve connectivity in western India, and support the country’s long-term economic growth and infrastructure development.
