Navi Mumbai International Airport begins flight operations, opens new gateway to MMR

Navi Mumbai International Airport begins flight operations, opens new gateway to MMR In its initial phase, NMIA is designed to handle 20 million passengers per annum (MPPA), with future expansion planned to scale capacity up to 90 MPPA, supported by dedicated cargo terminals and multimodal connectivity. Published - December 25, 2025 07:31 pm IST - MUMBAI Lalatendu Mishra READ LATER SEE ALL Remove The greenfield airport, established to take the load off the existing Mumbai airport, is being built in phases. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Adding a new aviation gateway to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), developed and operated by Adani Airports on Thursday commenced commercial flight operations making an over-30-year dream and planning a reality. This greenfield airport, established to take the load off the existing Mumbai airport is being built in phases. In its initial phase, NMIA is designed to handle 20 million passengers per annum (MPPA), with future expansion planned to scale capacity up to 90 MPPA, supported by dedicated cargo terminals and multimodal connectivity. The launch positions Mumbai toward a distributed, multi-airport model seen in global city-regions such as London, New York, Moscow, Tokyo and Shanghai. The opening adds a critical new gateway for a region that has faced sustained congestion for over a decade. Planned as part of a distributed aviation framework, NMIA supports Mumbai’s transition to a multi-airport system aimed at improving capacity, operational resilience and long-term scalability, the airport operator said. On the first day domestic services were operated by IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air, connecting NMIA to nine destinations across India. NMIA handled 48 flights connecting nine domestic destinations, serving over 4,000 passengers, with peak traffic recorded between 05:00 and 07:00 hours. Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani personally welcomed passengers from the inaugural flight and interacted with airport staff, frontline workers and first-time flyers. Mr. Adani said, “It’s a proud day for Mumbai and for India. NMIA stands as a promise of what the country can achieve when ambition is guided by purpose and delivered with speed and execution.” IndiGo was the first airline to touch down at the new airport. The first flight arrived at NMIA from Bengaluru in the morning, while the first departure was to Hyderabad shortly thereafter. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo, said, “ Initially, IndiGo will be connecting NMIA to over 10 key destinations across the nation. These newly launched services will support the growth of this brand-new aviation gateway and complement Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.” Air India Express’s first flight from NMIA was operated to Bengaluru. Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express (AIX), said, “The start of flights from Navi Mumbai is a milestone for the city and the region. Navi Mumbai is a key pillar of our dual-airport strategy, complementing our services from Mumbai airport, where we operate direct flights to 11 domestic and three international destinations.” “Being here from day one reflects our confidence in the potential NMIA has...

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