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Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) staged a spectacular drone show on Wednesday and used 1,515 drones ahead of the airport’s operational launch.
The Adani Group-promoted greenfield airport will begin commercial operations from Thursday. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), NMIA said the drone display celebrated the convergence of design, sustainability and connectivity. The drones moved in seamless coordination, transforming the night sky into a canvas of visually striking and memorable formations.
Inspired by lotus design
The aerial show featured 3D blooming lotus visuals, lotus-inspired interior designs, the airport’s logo, its green airport vision, an aircraft flying over Mumbai, and motifs symbolising the rise of India.
All the formations were centred around the airport’s core theme and future-ready vision, NMIA said in a statement.
“The evening brought together innovation and artistry,” the airport said, adding that the display highlighted the philosophy behind one of India’s most ambitious aviation infrastructure projects.
All you need to know about the airport
NMIA is the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region after Mumbai International Airport and is expected to emerge as one of the busiest aviation hubs in the country. Spread across more than 1,160 hectares (2,866 acres), the airport is being developed with long-term capacity and sustainability at its core.
Once fully completed, Navi Mumbai International Airport is designed to handle 90 million passengers per annum (MPPA). The project will feature two parallel runways, modern terminal buildings and advanced cargo facilities aimed at ensuring a seamless passenger experience and efficient cargo handling.
In the initial phase of operations, NMIA will have the capacity to manage 20 million passengers per annum and 0.5 million metric tonnes of cargo annually. The drone spectacle, signalling that “vision took flight,” has added to the growing anticipation around the airport’s launch and its role in shaping the next chapter of India’s aviation growth.
Operations to begin today; check out airlines, routes announced
Commercial flight operations will begin on Thursday, with IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air operating domestic services on day one. These flights will connect NMIA to nine destinations across India.
The airport will handle 15 scheduled departures on the first day. During the initial phase, NMIA will operate for 12 hours -- from 8 am to 8 pm -- and will have the capability to manage up to 24 daily departures to 13 destinations and up to 10 aircraft movements per hour.
The first phase of the five-phased project has been developed at a cost of Rs 19,650 crore. Spread across 1,160 hectares, the airport will initially operate with one terminal and one runway, with an annual passenger handling capacity of 20 million.
