Navi Mumbai Airport: When Is The First Flight? Which Are 4 Cities You Can Fly To? How To Reach NMIA?

After its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8, the Navi Mumbai International airport (NMIA) is likely to begin flight operations from December 25. While the NMIA is yet to officially

make the announcement, an airline has opened bookings. Flights to only four cities are being offered in the beginning.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA)

The airport has been developed over 1,160 hectares with a special purpose vehicle, Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL). Once the airport is ready with two runways, it will have the capacity to handle nine crore passengers (annually). Once fully operational, NMIA and CSMIA together will allow Mumbai to handle approximately 145–150 million passengers annually.

Thrilled to announce the launch of our operations from the all-new @navimumairport (NMIA)! ✈️

Our maiden flight from Delhi to Navi Mumbai will land at NMI on 25th December 2025, marking a historic milestone. With this, Akasa Air becomes one of the first airlines to commence… pic.twitter.com/8tZVLXBPve

— Akasa Air (@AkasaAir) November 15, 2025

Which cities can you travel to from NMIA?

Akasa Air’s official website has announced passenger flights from Navi Mumbai International Airport from December 25, 2025.
Akasa Air will offer direct flights from Navi Mumbai to Delhi, Goa, Kochi, and Ahmedabad.
The post on X read: “Thrilled to announce the launch of our operations from the all-new @navimumairport (NMIA)! ✈️ Our maiden flight from Delhi to Navi Mumbai will land at NMI on 25th December 2025, marking a historic milestone. With this, Akasa Air becomes one of the first airlines to commence operations from NMIA. Get ready to enjoy the Akasa experience from Navi Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Delhi, Goa and Kochi.”

The first flight

Akasa Air has opened ticket bookings. It has planned a special flight for only December 25 — QP 1831 — which will depart Delhi at 5.25 am and land at Navi Mumbai at 8.10 am. The return flight, planned for the same day, will fly as QP 132, departing at 8.50 am from Navi Mumbai.
On Friday, the one-way fare for Navi Mumbai-Delhi flight was priced around Rs 6,000.
The new airport will begin with only 12-hour operations, beginning at 8am, said a Times Of India (TOI) report.

What will be the flight timings?

Some flights will run daily, while others will operate only on specific days. Flights to Delhi, Goa, and Kochi will be available at various times from morning to night, so passengers can choose flights as per their convenience. Some flights to Goa and Kochi will run only on certain days, while services to Delhi and Ahmedabad will be more regular.
Special service to Ahmedabad will start from December 31, according to News18 Lokmat.
Except December 25, Akasa Air’s daily Delhi-Navi Mumbai flight has a scheduled arrival time of 8.50am, while the Navi Mumbai-Delhi flight will depart at 10.55am. The airline also has planned a daily flight from Navi Mumbai to Goa; it will fly to Kochi five times a week and to Ahmedabad only on Wednesdays, according to TOI.
For more information about the flights, tickets, and booking, passengers can contact Akasa Air’s official website, mobile app, or their travel agent.

Where exactly is the NMIA?

The airport is in Ulwe, which is a node of Navi Mumbai, in the Panvel taluka of Raigad district, Maharashtra, near NH 4B and Aamra Marg roads. Its exact address would be — Ulwe, Targhar Dapoli Road, Panvel Taluka, Raigad.

How to reach NMIA?

Residents of Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Mumbai and suburbs can reach NMIA taking the Eastern Expressway via Mulund, Airoli or via the Thane-Kalwa-Vitawa-Digha-Nerul-Belapur-Ulwe road. The distance is approximately 35-40 km. The Western Expressway can be reached via JVLR, Eastern Expressway, Vashi Creek Bridge, the distance is approximately 40-45 km. From Worli, you can reach NMIA via Atal Setu and Ulwe-Belapur.

Sion-Panvel Highway via Chembur, Vashi, Nerul, Belapur, Panvel or existing highways: Take NH4B and Aamra Marg. The Eastern Freeway can also bring motorists from South Mumbai to Chembur, who can then travel onwards using the Sion-Panvel highway.
Travel time: Depending on traffic, likely 1-1.5 hours from many parts of Mumbai. It will take slightly less time from the eastern suburbs.

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) or Atal Setu: Once you cross Sewri (South Mumbai) on MTHL into Nhava Sheva, you will be closer to Ulwe terminal. The Ulwe Coastal Road, which will connect with MTHL, is being built to improve connectivity. From South Mumbai, especially near Sewri, it will cut the travel time by 20 minutes.
Travel time: Once you cross the MTHL, it will take around 20 25 minutes, depending on traffic.

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Buses: You can take state transport, CIDCO or private airport express buses being planned from hubs like Dadar, Thane, Vashi, Panvel, etc.
Travel time: It depends on your starting point, but keep an eye on the stops on the way.

Railway: You can travel to Panvel railway station on the Central Railway’s harbour line, which starts at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) – CSMT-Wadala Road-Mankhurd-Vashi-Nerul-Belapur-Panvel. There are no fast trains. Navi Mumbai and Thane passengers can opt for the trans-harbour line. The frequency is limited. From there you can take the local transport. Navi Mumbai Metro line 1 from Belapur to Pendhar Metro Line has been completed and is operational.
Travel time: CSMT to Panvel takes 1.5 hours. Thane-Panvel takes 45-50 minutes.