How ABB is Powering India’s Connectivity Future

India’s new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is set to play a major role for Asia’s connectivity hub, with its entire technical infrastructure powered by ABB. 

Located in the Ulwe suburb in the Raigad district, Maharashtra, and managed by Adani Airport Holdings, the 1,160-hectare airport is designed as more than a hub for aeronautical services with experiences for passenger engagement and city integration.

ABB’s medium-voltage products and low-voltage packaged drives play a pivotal role across these services.

For example, the Arrival Forecourt is open to both arriving passengers and city visitors, combining entertainment zones, bowling alleys, a microbrewery and a street-food concept to house food chains from across India.

The goal is for this area to become a “lively plaza rather than a functional transit edge”, according to Adani Airport Holdings. 

Another standout feature is a 1,000-square-metre experiential zone located straight after security with LED projections, static art and kinetic installations to tell the cultural stories of Mumbai, Maharashtra and India. 

Plus, NMIA provides a meet-and-greet service that extends airport hospitality beyond the terminal, an 80-room transit hotel within the terminal designed for overnight stays and hourly use, a curated destination celebrating the ritual of tea, and a celebrity lounge with private rooms and fully customisable menus.

The airport was opened by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2025 and commercial operations began in December 2025. It currently handles 20 million passengers per year but is designed to scale up to 90 million passengers once all three interconnected lotus-inspired terminals are completed.

NMIA currently operates a 3,700-metre runway, enabling landings at visibility levels up to 300 metres. There are plans for two parallel runways for simultaneous operations.

Powering the electrical backbone 

An airport of this size and scale requires a robust technical infrastructure, which can sustain new developments as the airport grows.

ABB solutions power all of NMIA’s operational zones, from receiving and distribution substations to air traffic control.

It does this through a range of medium-voltage products and low-voltage packaged drives, ensuring safe and reliable power distribution across the airport’s critical infrastructure and efficient cooling.

As of March 2026, there are 156 electrical panels and 180 installed packaged drives, forming the electrical backbone of the airport.

AR Madhusudan, President and Business Line Manager for Drive Products at ABB India, says: “As India builds the next generation of airports, performance expectations are rising, not just in passenger experience, but in energy efficiency and operational resilience.

“Intelligent, energy-efficient building systems will be fundamental in shaping infrastructure that is sustainable, reliable and built for long-term performance, as demonstrated in this landmark aviation project.”

The ABB systems ensure continuous power supply to operations, efficient cooling and climate control across terminals, reliable operation of navigation and control systems, and enhanced safety and operational resilience. 

Sustainable growth

ABB’s drive technologies contribute to energy optimisation by enabling precise motor control, and reducing energy consumption in cooling and utility systems. It does this by ensuring efficient power management across substations and utility plants. 

As the airport prepares for 90 million passengers, ABB’s electrical architecture will support the expansion without compromising performance or efficiency.