Mumbai: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) formally began commercial operations on Thursday, December 25, marking a historic milestone in Mumbai’s aviation journey and easing pressure on the city’s
overburdened primary airport. The launch signals the beginning of a new era for air travel in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The first commercial flight to land at NMIA was an IndiGo service from Bengaluru, which arrived at 8 am, officially inaugurating passenger operations at the newly built airport. The aircraft was welcomed on the runway with a water cannon salute. Shortly after, the airport recorded its first departure at 8.40 am, IndiGo flight 6E882 bound for Hyderabad. According to reports, the first flight completed its journey and landed at its destination at around 10:18 am.
Among the airlines to commence services on the opening day was Air India Express, which inaugurated its operations from NMIA with direct flights to Bengaluru and Delhi. The airline marked the occasion by sharing visuals of its first departure from the airport. Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, Air India Express arranged a special welcome for passengers arriving on its inaugural flight to NMIA—IX2914 from Bengaluru.
Airline officials were seen presenting a symbolic oversized boarding pass to the first Air India Express passenger, bearing the inscription “First Guest Navi Mumbai NMI,” underlining the significance of the moment.
Akasa Air also began its NMIA journey on the opening day, operating its newest Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which was delivered to the airline just last week. The carrier shared a video showing the aircraft on the NMIA tarmac and posted images of its team celebrating Akasa Air’s maiden flight from Navi Mumbai International Airport to Delhi on December 25, 2025.
Details Of Day 1 Of Operations
Operations on the first day followed a carefully planned schedule. NMIA handled 15 arrivals and 15 departures, even though the airport has the technical capability to manage up to 10 air traffic movements per hour. Authorities have indicated that flight operations will be gradually scaled up in the coming weeks as systems stabilise and passenger traffic increases.
On day one, four Indian airlines, IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air, connected NMIA to nine cities across the country. IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, dominated operations, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the day’s traffic with nine departures. The remaining airlines operated two departures each.
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