Plans to develop a third airport in Mumbai

Mumbai, Jun 12 (UNI) Maharashtra government is working on a plan to develop a third airport in Mumbai, Vice chairman and Managing Director of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) R C Sinha said on the concluding day of 3rd annual Aviation and Tourism Summit, here today.

''The government is working on a plan for a third airport in Mumbai. And we are looking at a location in Thane or beyond,'' Mr Sinha said.

''A Thane Collectorate has been asked to identify the land and once that is done, a formal proposal will be sent to the government,'' Mr Sinha added.

He, however, refused to specify the timeframe for the entire project. ''It is a long term plan, say after 25 years. In other way, after Sahara and Navi Mumbai airports are saturated,'' Mr Sinha said.

MADC, which has been mandated to oversee the development of a multi-model international hub airport at Nagpur, will be studying and undertaking the project.

The new airport would come up 35-40 kms away from the site for the proposed Navi Mumbai airport and would be built on the private-public partnership basis.

UNI