Navi Mumbai International Airport begins commercial flights

The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) commenced commercial flight operations on Thursday, marking a significant expansion of civil aviation infrastructure in India and adding new air travel capacity for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The airport’s first commercial flight, operated by IndiGo from Bengaluru, landed at NMIA at 8 am. The arrival was accorded a ceremonial water cannon salute, a traditional aviation gesture marking the airport’s first commercial touchdown and departure, the airport operator said in a statement.

Following the inaugural arrival, NMIA recorded its first departure with IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad at 8:40 am, completing the airport’s first commercial arrival and departure cycle.

We have opened up our skies to the world.

The first touchdown at #NMIA marks a defining moment as Navi Mumbai International Airport welcomes its first commercial flight with a ceremonial water cannon salute, officially commencing scheduled passenger operations.… pic.twitter.com/EPCGMsy6jy

— Navi Mumbai International Airport (@navimumairport) December 25, 2025

On the first day of operations, four airlines—IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air—are operating domestic services from the new airport. These flights will connect NMIA to nine destinations across the country. The airport is handling 15 scheduled departures on the opening day.

During the initial phase, the airport will operate for 12 hours daily, between 8 am and 8 pm. Within this window, NMIA is capable of managing up to 24 scheduled daily departures to 13 destinations. The airport also has the capacity to handle up to 10 aircraft movements, including arrivals and departures, per hour during this phase.

Operations are planned to progressively scale up to round-the-clock services from February next year, as the airport ramps up capacity in a phased manner.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8 this year. The project is being developed in five phases, with the first phase constructed at a cost of Rs 19,650 crore.

Once all five phases are completed, the airport is expected to cater to 90 million passengers annually. The fully developed facility will also include dedicated cargo terminals and multimodal connectivity, aimed at strengthening passenger movement and logistics infrastructure in the region.

The airport project is being developed under a special purpose vehicle, Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL). The Adani Group holds a 74 per cent stake in NMIAL, while the remaining 26 per cent is owned by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).

With the start of commercial operations, NMIA becomes a key addition to India’s aviation network and is expected to ease pressure on Mumbai’s existing airport while supporting long-term growth in passenger and cargo traffic in the MMR.