India, July 13 -- With over 94% of the construction complete, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced an "ambitious" target of September 30 for the formal inauguration of the long-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The greenfield project, which has seen years of delays, is being readied at a rapid pace, with the state government now pushing to complete the remaining work in time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate it.

Fadnavis, along with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, visited the NMIA site on Saturday noon to take stock of the progress. "The airport is progressing rapidly, with around 14,000 workers on-site. If needed, the workforce will be doubled to meet the deadline. Although the September 30 ta...