Photos: Navi Mumbai International Airport begins commercial operations

After years of delays, the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has officially commenced commercial operations on Thursday, offering the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) a second gateway for air travel.

The first scheduled arrival at NMIA was IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru, which landed at 8am, according to an airport spokesperson. The aircraft was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute, a long-standing aviation tradition reserved for significant milestones.

NMIA’s first departure followed at 8.40 am, with IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad, completing the airport’s first commercial arrival–departure cycle on day one.

Scheduled passenger services at NMIA add crucial capacity to India’s busiest aviation market, easing congestion at Mumbai’s existing airport, which currently handles about 950 flights in 24 hours.

Operations on the opening day run between 8am and 8pm, with around 30 domestic arrivals and departures handled by four carriers: IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India Express and Star Air.

Terminal operations started early, with the building opening to departing passengers at 6:40 am to enable smooth and efficient processing ahead of the first scheduled flights.

NMIA starts with Terminal 1 and one operational runway, offering an annual passenger capacity of 20 million, with flexibility to accommodate an additional 2–3 million travellers.

On the first day, the airport is handling 15 scheduled departures to nine domestic destinations, with a phased plan to scale up operations to 24 daily departures covering 13 destinations.

Passenger facilities include Digi Yatra-enabled contactless processing alongside conventional check-in counters, while retail and food options are curated for affordability and local preferences.

Located 35–50 km from North and South Mumbai and 35–45 km from the eastern suburbs, NMIA is accessible via multiple road routes across the MMR, with round-the-clock operations planned by February 2026.