Overview

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Phase 1 on October 8, with commercial flights targeted for December pending security clearances and testing.
• Attendees said the speeches only referenced D. B. Patil in passing and no formal renaming was announced, with signage reading “Navi Mumbai International Airport.”
• The D. B. Patil family said they felt snubbed, with son Atul Patil expressing disappointment over the absence of even a hint about the name.
• The NMIA Kruti Samiti will seek written clarity from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis within ten days and indicated plans to intensify agitation if the name is not formalized.
• In a separate push for recognition, East Indian community leaders called for Mumbai airport’s domestic terminal to be named after freedom fighter Joseph “Kaka” Baptista.