Maharashtra budget: 3rd airport in Mumbai, night landing in Shirdi | Key takeaways

Maharashtra finance minister Ajit Pawar announced that the night landing facility will soon be operational at Shirdi Airport.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented the state budget for the financial year 2025-26 in the state assembly on Monday proposing a third airport for Mumbai near Vadhvan port.

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, during budget assembly session at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai. (Hindustan Times)

In the first budget of the newly-formed Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, Pawar also announced that the night landing facility will soon be operational at Shirdi Airport.

Pawar also announced that Maharashtra Mumbai’s economy alone is projected to grow from $140 billion to $300 billion.

Here are key takeaways from Maharashtra Budget 2025:

• Domestic flights will begin operations at Navi Mumbai International Airport next month, with 85% of the work already completed and successful trial runs conducted, announced finance minister Ajit Pawar.
• A third airport for Mumbai, which will be operational by 2030, is proposed near Vadhvan Port, with the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train station also to be situated nearby.
• Finance minister Ajit Pawar also announced that the night landing facility will soon be operational at Maharashtra's Shirdi Airport, a famous pilgrim site.
• The state is also planning to develop 1,500 km of new roads and upgrade 7,000 km of existing roads to cemented roads.
• In his budget speech, the Mahayuti government also announced that it aims to generate 50 lakh new employment opportunities over the next five years, supported by Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹15.72 lakh crore signed with 56 companies at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
• The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is being developed as a growth hub, and it will have a USD 1.5 trillion economy by 2047, Pawar said in his budget speech.
• The Metro service will link Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport with the Navi Mumbai International Airport, announced Pawar.