In Pics | Navi Mumbai International Airport to Begin Operations From December 25

Commercial operations at the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) are set to begin on December 25, marking a historic achievement as Mumbai becomes the first city in India to operate two major airports simultaneously — placing it among global aviation hubs like London, New York, Tokyo and Paris.

Developed over 1,160 hectares with an investment of ₹19,650 crore, the first phase — featuring one terminal and one runway — will be capable of handling 20 million passengers annually, easing congestion at Mumbai’s existing airport.

From December 25 to January 25, the airport will operate between 8 am and 8 pm, managing 23 scheduled daily departures and up to 10 aircraft movements per hour — ensuring smooth service during its launch phase.

​The first flight to land will be IndiGo 6E460 from Bengaluru at 8:00 am, followed by IndiGo 6E882 to Hyderabad at 8:40 am, which will mark the first passenger departure from NMIA.

IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa Air will begin services from NMIA on Day 1, connecting Mumbai to 16 major domestic destinations. IndiGo will add more routes — including Coimbatore and Chennai from December 29 and Vadodara from December 30.

A full-scale ORAT (Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer) trial has already been successfully conducted — simulating check-in, security, boarding and baggage reclaim with hundreds of passengers to ensure every system is ready on launch day.

From February 2026, NMIA is scheduled to transition to round-the-clock (24×7) operations, increasing capacity to 34 daily departures before scaling up to become one of India’s highest-throughput passenger and cargo gateways.

The project is led by NMIAL, a PPP joint venture between the Adani Group (74%) and CIDCO (26%), marking one of India’s most significant private-public infrastructure collaborations, designed to elevate global competitiveness in aviation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the airport on October 8, and the facility now moves to the final launch stage with airlines, security teams and ground staff preparing for its first day of passenger operations.

With Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport operating near peak saturation — recently crossing 1,036 aircraft movements in 24 hours — NMIA will unlock critical capacity, boost trade and logistics, and accelerate regional economic development for decades.