Migratory birds, such as flamingos flying between the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary and Navi Mumbai wetlands, maintain an altitude below the aircraft flight path, a recent study by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) shows. Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) expressed concerns regarding some bird sites—NRI Colony, Training Ship Chanakya (TSC), and Delhi Public School (DPS)—being located close to the airport, as they fall within the Inner Horizontal Surfaces (IHS) of NMIA.

However, with the BNHS addressing these concerns, environmentalists are relieved that the Navi Mumbai wetlands will be preserved. The BNHS report is part of the Half-Yearly Compliance Report of Environmental & CRZ Clearance for the ongoing project for the establishment of the Greenfield Airport Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The flight patterns of birds in Thane creek, potentially intersecting with the approach path of NMIA runways 08L and 08R (for westerly takeoffs/landings), have been studied by the BNHS.