In a notable development related to the Navi Mumbai International Airport in Mumbai, it has undergone a key exercise, which marks its readiness to start commercial operations from December 25. The exercise known as the Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) is considered extremely important for an airport to begin operations.
First-ever full-scale integrated passenger trial
In a statement, the airport said, “As we prepare for flights on December 25, our ORAT Team successfully completed our first-ever full-scale integrated passenger trial with hundreds of simulated travellers.”
“From check-in with IndiGo, Akasa, and Air India Express to security, boarding, and baggage reclaim- every step was tested to perfection. A huge thank you to our "first passengers," CISF, L&T, our airline partners, and the entire NMIAL team for making this milestone possible," the airport said in a statement”, the airport added.
ORAT is helpful in bridging the gap between what is termed as ‘construction readiness’ and ‘operational readiness’, assessing the level of readiness of an airport to kickstart activities. ORAT is critical, given the complexity of operations involved in airport operations.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for an airport to be operational, proper synergy between numerous systems involved, including airside and landside operations, baggage handling, security, passenger flow, and more, is required.
ORAT is aimed at making sure that systems, facilities, and equipment work with full capacity, along with ensuring that staff are properly trained, with the capability of functioning in the new environment.
IATA code for Navi Mumbai International Airport
NMIA is the IATA code for Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA, while it is BOM for Mumbai's existing airport. Additionally, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) code for the NMIA airport is VANM.
Marking the start of operations, three airlines, including Indigo, Akasa, and Air India Express, will begin flights from the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
The airport’s first arrival will be IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru, scheduled to land at 8 a.m. on December 25.
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