Mumbai, Oct 6: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) on Tuesday said that its dedicated inflight catering facility — operated by aviation catering company TajSATS — is prepared to support growing airline operations ahead of the Winter 2026-27 schedule, which runs from October 25 to March 27, 2027.

Located within the airport precinct, the flight kitchen currently serves more than 40 departing flights daily and has the capacity to produce up to 7,500 meals a day.

Moreover, the facility can be expanded to produce 15,000 meals daily as airline movements and passenger traffic increase.

“As NMIA expands its airline network, it is important that our supporting infrastructure grows with it,” said Subhash Murikenchery, Chief Airport Officer, Navi Mumbai International Airport.

“The TajSATS flight kitchen gives airlines the flexibility to meet rising demand and enhances the culinary experience for passengers,” he added.

The facility features production infrastructure, refrigeration systems and operational processes designed to respond to changes in airline schedules and demand.

Its location within the airport precinct is intended to facilitate meal delivery to departing aircraft.

NMIA said the facility provides local meal-uplift capabilities for international carriers operating to and from India, offering airlines an additional catering option closer to their point of departure.

“Approximately 40 per cent of international carriers operating from India rely on back catering from their own flight kitchens. NMIA’s inflight catering infrastructure has been developed to support this requirement, alongside the catering needs of domestic carriers,” according to the airport.

The catering infrastructure at NMIA has been developed to support those requirements alongside the needs of domestic carriers.

In addition, the facility offers catering services for both domestic and international airlines and can accommodate a range of dietary requirements, including special meals, allergen-sensitive menus and halal meals.

NMIA said the kitchen complies with food safety and quality standards including Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), ISO 22000 and regulations of India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority.

TajSATS — which has operated in the aviation catering sector for more than four decades — also runs the flight kitchen at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

The airport said the facility is already operational and designed to scale in line with future growth in airline connectivity and passenger volumes.

Mumbai, Oct 6: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Tuesday launched an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the implementation of the Special Information Revision (SIR) process.

The Thackeray camp in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Samaana’, defended the protest rally held on Sunday in Mumbai by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and allied democratic groups. Its defence was triggered by sharp criticism from senior BJP leaders. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the opposition rally as a desperate attempt to find political ground, while state Minister Ashish Shelar termed the protest “cheap politics” and its demands “howling”.

Strongly condemning these remarks, the Thackeray camp called the BJP’s stance an insult to the public, accusing the party of arrogance and relying on a “corrupt Election Commission” to stay in power. The mouthpiece alleged that across India, nearly 13 crore voters, including over two crore in Maharashtra alone, were arbitrarily stripped of their voting rights without prior notice or a fair hearing.

“This is the arrogance of power, and the BJP is enjoying this power by empowering thieves like Gyanesh Kumar. Lakhs of people took to the streets in Mumbai holding the Tricolour. Calling their protest “whining” is an insult to the Tricolour itself. A man like PM Modi pretends to cry every day; when one person cries like that, it is whining. But when 5 to 10 lakh people cry together out of anguish, it creates an upheaval powerful enough to overthrow tyrannical rule. Out of that ‘whining’, the wild fires of rebellion ignite,” warned the editorial.

Highlighting recent legal and administrative criticism of the SIR process, the editorial cited the observation by Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan. Justice Bhuyan observed that any arbitrary procedure depriving citizens of their right to vote violates the constitutional framework, stating that stripping a citizen’s right to vote is akin to “separating the soul from the body”. He emphasised that names of living voters cannot be deleted without due process and advance notice.

The editorial also referenced former Union Home Secretary and ex-BJP Minister R.K. Singh, who publicly declared the nationwide SIR drive unlawful. Singh noted that removing voters without proper inquiry or hearings directly violates Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act. “If an experienced administrative officer and a Supreme Court Judge both call this process arbitrary and illegal, will the BJP call their observations ‘howling’ as well?” the editorial questioned.

“So Fadnavis and company should publicly announce whether what such a capable former official says about ‘SIR’ is also ‘howling,’ it said.

The editorial reiterated the core demands of the protesters who marched through the streets of Mumbai, the immediate revocation of the SIR process, the scrapping of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and a return to the ballot paper.

Taking a sharp personal jab at BJP leaders, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena concluded with a satirical note, suggesting that “given the rhetoric from leaders like Fadnavis and Shelar, playwrights influenced by the RSS should write a new drama titled ‘Puppies of the Jackal’.”

Warning the ruling government against brushing aside public anger, the editorial said that “when millions of citizens unite against injustice with the national flag in hand, it sparks a rebellion capable of dethroning authoritarian regimes”.

Ahmedabad, Oct 5: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is strengthening its public transport and ground mobility infrastructure ahead of the Winter Schedule 2026-27, with a wider network of buses, taxis, autorickshaws, car rentals, and airport shuttles aimed at improving connectivity across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it was announced on Monday.

The airport, operated by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), is preparing for the Winter Schedule that will run from October 25, 2026, to March 27, 2027.

As part of the expansion, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will launch e-Shivai electric bus services from NMIA on October 7.

The first phase of MSRTC services will connect the airport with Dadar, Borivali and Pune. Fares from NMIA have been set at Rs 450 for Pune, Rs 210 for Borivali, and Rs 170 for Dadar East. Children below 12 years and women travelling with a National Common Mobility Card will be eligible for a 50 per cent fare concession.

The Dadar-NMIA service will operate through Sion and Atal Setu, while the Borivali-NMIA route will connect CSMIA Terminal 1, Bandra, and Atal Setu. The Pune route will have two daily services, with one operating in the morning and another in the afternoon. MSRTC also plans to introduce services connecting NMIA with Thane and Nashik by mid-November.

Private bus operator Chalo Bus is already providing 21 daily services connecting NMIA with Marol in Andheri East, Bandra, Dadar, and the World Trade Centre in Colaba. The operator is also adding capacity during peak periods to cater to passenger and airport employee movement.

Within Navi Mumbai, Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) is operating seven dedicated airport routes, A1 to A7, linking Terminal 1 with Kharkopar, Targhar, Belapur, Nerul, Panvel, Khandeshwar and the Airport Project Office. Services between Belapur and Nerul are available every 15-20 minutes during peak hours, while further connectivity to Vashi and Panvel is planned.

The airport is also expanding taxi and last-mile connectivity. Uber Go and Uber Premier will provide app-based cab services, while Uber Auto will cater to passengers seeking on-demand autorickshaw services for shorter journeys. Prepaid taxi and autorickshaw facilities, along with car rental services, are also being introduced at the airport.

Bharat Taxi is scheduled to begin operations at NMIA from October 10 with a dedicated fleet of up to 40 vehicles, adding another option for passengers travelling to and from the airport.

A complimentary inter-airport shuttle service is also being introduced between NMIA and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). Operated by Cityflo, Aarya and Chalo, the shuttle will run every hour and provide passengers with a direct transfer option between Mumbai’s two airports.

Overall ground transport capacity at NMIA is being scaled up to 4,594 vehicles and services, including 3,787 app-based taxis, 184 car rentals, 171 autorickshaws and 547 buses. The airport is also deploying mobility signage, improved wayfinding systems and on-ground passenger assistance, with designated areas for buses, shuttles, arrivals, departures and private vehicles.