FedEx on Tuesday broke ground on a fully automated air cargo hub at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), committing over Rs 2,500 crore in a long-term investment aimed at strengthening Western India’s position in global trade.
The 300,000 sq ft facility, to be developed in partnership with Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), will function as a regional consolidation and redistribution hub connecting India with Southeast Asia, West Asia, Europe and the United States. The move is expected to ease cargo capacity constraints while deepening India’s integration with key international markets.
Facility likely to be fully operational after over a year
Sources tell Financial Express that the facility will be fully operational after more than a year atleast.
The ceremony was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raj Subramaniam, President and CEO, FedEx; Richard Smith, CEO, Airline and COO, International, FedEx; Kami Viswanathan, President, FedEx Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa (MEISA); and Jeet Adani, Director, AAHL.
The facility will feature advanced automated sorting systems, high-speed screening and dedicated aircraft parking bays.
Once operational, it is expected to generate over 6,000 direct and indirect jobs across logistics, warehousing, transportation and allied services.
“Integrated infrastructure” to strengthen exports: Jeet Adani
Jeet Adani said the project aligns with NMIA’s long-term infrastructure vision. “This development reflects NMIA’s long-term vision of building integrated infrastructure that strengthens India’s trade competitiveness. With its proximity to Jawaharlal Nehru Port, industrial corridors and multimodal transport networks, NMIA is uniquely positioned to support high-growth export sectors and enhance Maharashtra’s role as a global logistics gateway.”
Kami Viswanathan underlined the importance of reliable logistics to India’s export ambitions. “India’s competitiveness in global trade will increasingly depend on the reliability and speed of its logistics infrastructure.”
The hub is expected to handle high-value and time-sensitive shipments such as electronics, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals and perishables.
NMIA’s cargo infrastructure is planned to start with an initial capacity of about 0.5 million metric tonnes annually, scaling up to around 3.25 million metric tonnes in phases, positioning the mumbai Metropolitan Region as a major air freight gateway.