I have now been a passenger in and out of Navi Mumbai International Airport a few times as I write this. Having travelled extensively for many years across India and globally, I respect the value of an efficient airport. I also understand how the minutest design detail and service decisions quietly shape a passenger’s entire journey.

Airports show their true character not during inaugurations or guided media tours, but on routine days, with ordinary travellers, when there is no ceremony and no spotlight. They are civic gateways and not merely infrastructure projects or balance sheet assets. They shape how citizens experience a city, a state, and often the country itself. Passenger experience is, therefore, the core product.

Approach and access

That experience begins well before one enters the airport. The approach road to this new airport would benefit significantly from clearer and more frequent signage with unmistakable airport markings. One regularly sees cars taking a wrong turn and then attempting to reverse, creating confusion and avoidable risk.

One also searches in vain for meaningful green cover on the approach and within the terminal precinct. For a greenfield airport, this absence is striking and suggests that attention to detail did not extend beyond concrete and glass. Sustainability may feature prominently in corporate presentations, but passengers experience it in trees, shade, and air that feels less engineered.

Design and wayfinding

A well-designed airport should guide passengers instinctively, and passenger experience is not about finishes and fittings. It is a systems problem, where signage,........

© Free Press Journal