India, July 8 -- The first phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to be operational by September, Industries Minister Uday Samant informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday. While the original target for inauguration was the end of August, minor delays have pushed the launch to the following month.

"About 95% of the construction work is complete. The airport will begin operations within the next two months," Samant said, adding that initial services will commence with limited capacity. The second phase of the airport is expected to be rolled out a few months after the first becomes functional.

Samant was replying to a long-duration debate on investment in Maharashtra. He claimed that 87% of the Memorandums of Unders...