India, Oct. 8 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Navi Mumbai International Airport, bringing Mumbai on a par with the likes of New York to London and Tokyo as metropolitan areas with at least two airports.

"Mumbai's long wait [for a second international airport] has ended," PM Modi said at the inauguration in the presence of Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Airports Ltd. that has built the aviation hub. "The Navi Mumbai International Airport and underground metro are set to transform travel and connectivity in Mumbai."

The NMIA is seen as a milestone in India's aviation infrastructure, promising to transform air connectivity for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and relieve congestion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj...