Navi Mumbai airport begins international operations with Abu Dhabi flight

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) began international operations on Wednesday, with Air India Express operating the airport’s first overseas flight to Abu Dhabi.

The Air India Express flight, carrying around 100 passengers, departed the airport at 2.55 am (IST) and landed at Abu Dhabi airport in the UAE after around 2.30 hours.

NMIA, which is being developed in multiple phases, started domestic services on December 25, 2025. Air India Express will operate flights between Navi Mumbai and Abu Dhabi three times a week.

As the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft prepared for departure, the pilot in command described it as a historic flight and a landmark journey.

Among the passengers was Shakir Abid, who travelled with his wife and daughter. He said he was excited and that the journey was also about creating good memories.

The family will take a connecting flight from Abu Dhabi to Muscat, where they will celebrate their daughter Safa Abid’s third birthday later this week.

The inaugural flight also carried NMIA’s first global perishable export shipment.

In less than seven months, NMIA has connected 46 domestic destinations, served more than 2.3 million passengers and now handles around 150 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) each day.

Air India Express chairman Nipun Aggarwal said in a release issued on Tuesday that Navi Mumbai is a key pillar of the airline’s dual-airport strategy, complementing its network from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

“The launch of our first scheduled international flight marks the beginning of a new phase in Navi Mumbai International Airport’s journey,” Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) CEO Arun Bansal said in the release.

The airport is being developed in multiple phases by Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), a special purpose vehicle that is 74 per cent owned by AAHL, with the remaining shareholding held by CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation).