Navi Mumbai International Airport kicks off operations, handles 4,000 passengers on Day 1
In a major milestone for the country's aviation sector, Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) commenced airside operations on Thursday with the arrival of its first commercial flight. The inaugural arrival, IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru, touched down at 08:00 hrs and was welcomed with the traditional water salute. This was followed by the airport’s first departure, an IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad, which took off at 08:40 hrs, completing NMIA’s inaugural arrival and departure cycle.
On the very first day of operations, airlines including IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India Express and Star Air operated scheduled passenger flights to and from NMIA. Over 4,000 passengers were handled on day one as about 35 flights took off/landed at the new airport. Formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8, NMIA is expected to ease congestion at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), located in the heart of the financial capital Mumbai.
The airport, second in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), is a 74:26 joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) and City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO). With a planned capacity of 90 million passengers and 3.2 million tonnes of cargo per annum, NMIA will commence Phase 1 operations with a capacity of 20 million passengers and 0.5 million tonnes of cargo per annum.
Chairman of Adani Group Gautam Adani welcomed passengers from the inaugural flight. The launch concluded with a flag-hoisting ceremony led by Param Vir Chakra awardees Captain Bana Singh and Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar, followed by the national anthem. Jeet Adani, Director, AAHL, said that NMIA establishes a resilient multi-airport system for the MMR, boosting capacity, enhancing passenger experience and future-proofing the region’s aviation growth.
IndiGo’s initial services from NMIA connect to 13 destinations: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Nagpur, Goa (Mopa), Jaipur, Chennai, Coimbatore and Vadodara.
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 inaugurated its services from NMIA with direct flights to Bengaluru and Delhi. The first Air India Express flight from Navi Mumbai International Airport operated to Bengaluru, marking the commencement of the airline’s services from the new airport.
Following the inaugural Bengaluru service, the airline’s inaugural Delhi flight departed from Navi Mumbai at 14:05 hours and arrived in the national capital at 16:20 hours. Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express, said, “AIX will scale up its operations going forward, offering guests reliable, value-driven connectivity delivered with the warmth of Indian hospitality, supported by a modern fleet.”