With just five days to go for the first flight takes off from the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT), live operational trials often described as
the airport’s full-dress rehearsals, have begun. Mumbai’s second airport, the NMIA, a greenfield facility in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, will begin commercial flight operations on December 25, 2025 — Christmas Day. Initially, the NMIAwill offer connectivity to around 16 domestic cities through the combined networks of the operating airlines, including major metros and regional centres.
NMIA’s dress rehearsals
During these trials, the NMIA has simulated real passenger journeys using staff and volunteers acting as travellers, NDTV reported.
What are ORAT trials?
They check operational readiness and prepare the airportto operate safely and efficiently.
These trials focus on:
People: Staff, airlines, ground handlers, security, ATC, immigration, customs
Processes: Check-in, boarding, baggage handling, security screening, emergency response
Systems: IT, baggage belts, flight information displays, power, fuel systems
ORAT trial activities include:
- Simulated passenger journeys (volunteers act as passengers)
- Check-in to security to boarding to arrival to baggage claim
- Aircraft turnaround simulations
- Emergency drills (fire, medical, evacuation)
- Testing peak-hour congestion scenarios
- The trials involve airport operator, airlines, ground handling agencies, security forces, immigration & customs, fire and rescue teams.
Airport Transfer Trials: They focus specifically on moving operations from an old airport to a new one, or shifting airlines/terminals.
What is tested:
Transfer of flights, staff, equipment, and systems
Airline systems syncing with the new airport
Passenger communication and wayfinding
Coordination between the old and new airports (if both operate)
What will be NMIA’s schedule?
In the first month, the airport will run scheduled flights from 08:00 to 20:00 daily, with up to 23 departures per day.
It will handle about 10 aircraft movements per hour during this initial phase.
On December 25
Theinaugural arrival is scheduled to be IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru at 08:00 on December 25.
The first departure will be IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad at 08:40.
Which airlines are operating from NMIA?
IndiGo: It will operate multiple domestic routes (e.g., Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa, Jaipur, Nagpur, Cochin, Mangalore).
Akasa Air: It will services to Delhi and Goa on December 25, with other routes like Kochi and Ahmedabad phased in shortly after.
Air India Express: It plans daily flights from NMIA beginning December 25.
What next for NMIA?
From February 2026, NMIA is set to transition to 24×7 operations with more daily departures to meet rising demand.
With Agency inputs
