Navi Mumbai International Airport starts operations with 15 domestic flights, IndiGo flies first arrival

Mumbai’s long-awaited second airport formally enters service today, as commercial operations begin at the Adani Group-promoted Navi Mumbai International Airport, marking the end of a more than two-decade journey from conception to take-off.

Operational rollout

Operations on the opening day are limited to domestic flights. IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air will connect NMIA to nine destinations, with 15 scheduled departures planned for the day.

During the initial phase, the airport will operate for 12 hours daily, from 8 am to 8 pm. It can handle up to 24 scheduled departures a day to 13 destinations and manage up to 10 aircraft movements per hour. From February next year, operations are expected to gradually expand to a 24x7 schedule, the operator said.

From day one, passenger services include Digi Yatra-enabled contactless processing at select touchpoints, with trained staff deployed across kerbside access, check-in, security and boarding. Retail and food and beverage offerings have been designed with a focus on affordability and local relevance.

The terminal’s architecture draws inspiration from India’s national flower, the lotus, blending cultural elements with contemporary design and sustainability features.

NMIA began airside operations on December 25, 2025, with the arrival of its first commercial flight. IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru touched down at 08:00 hrs and was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute. The airport’s first departure followed shortly after, with IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad taking off at 08:40 hrs.

The start of scheduled passenger services is expected to ease congestion at the existing Mumbai International Airport and strengthen capacity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The operator stated that NMIA is central to a distributed aviation framework aimed at transitioning Mumbai into a multi-airport system, enhancing resilience, and enabling long-term growth.

25 years to the D-day

Planned in 1997 by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the greenfield airport project has navigated years of delays, including a nearly two-year disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in 2018 and formally inaugurated the airport on October 8 this year. At the foundation ceremony, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the first flight would take off in December 2019.

Since 2021, Adani Airports Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Limited, has overseen development, construction and operational readiness at the site. The operator said the project was taken from accelerated construction to phased commercial operations within a compressed timeline.

Built at a cost of Rs 19,650 crore in its first phase, the airport spans 1,160 hectares. Phase one includes a single terminal and one runway, capable of handling 20 million passengers annually. Once all five phases are completed, the airport is expected to handle up to 90 million passengers a year, supported by dedicated cargo terminals and multimodal connectivity.

The project is being executed through a special purpose vehicle, Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), in which the Adani Group holds a 74% stake, while CIDCO retains the remaining 26%.