Navi Mumbai International Airport To Begin Operations On December 25; Akasa Air To Operate First Commercial Flight; Check Schedule, Prices & More

Mumbai: The long-anticipated Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will officially commence commercial flight operations on December 25, marking a transformative moment for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) on Christmas Day. The new facility, inaugurated earlier this year, is set to immediately spring to life as budget carriers IndiGo and Akasa Air will launch a combined network of services connecting the city to 10 key domestic destinations.

Akasa Air to Operate NMIA’s First Flight

The announcements made by Akasa Air and IndiGo on Saturday brought an end to the long anticipation over the commencement of operations at India’s first second city airport. Although IndiGo had claimed to operate the first flight from NMIA, during its flight validation test at the airport, Akasa Air has turned out to be the first to announce flight operations and will also fly the first scheduled commercial flight to and from NMIA. The maiden flight will be operated between Delhi and NMIA on December 25, departing from Delhi at 5.25am and landing at NMIA at 8.10am. Similarly, the return flight will depart from NMIA at 8.50am and reach Delhi at 11.15am.

Akasa Air’s Expansion Plan

The airline has also announced commencement of scheduled flights connecting Navi Mumbai with Goa, Delhi and Kochi from December 26 and Ahmedabad from December 31. It has claimed to progressively scale up to 300 domestic and 50 international weekly departures. It is also aiming to ramp up to 10 parking bases by the end of FY2027, with a focused international expansion into key Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets. The airline now operates 34 weekly flights from Mumbai Metropolitan region.

Praveen Iyer, co-founder and chief commercial officer, Akasa Air, said, “NMIA strengthens our strategic presence in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and western India, allowing us to optimise capacity deployment and capture new demand pools across. Our early association with NMIA reflects our conviction in India’s infrastructure-led growth story and our commitment to fostering balanced regional development.”

IndiGo Announces Services to 10 Domestic Cities

Following Akasa’s announcement, IndiGo has also announced plans to launch flights on the same day to ten domestic cities. These initial routes will include high-traffic connections to Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa (Mopa), Jaipur, Nagpur, Kochi, and Mangalore. IndiGo will also operate the first flight between Delhi and NMIA.

High Demand and Inflated Airfares

Notably, the announcement fuelled flyers’ excitement as people rushed to book tickets to the first flights to various destinations. Most of the first-day flights, according to the airlines, were filling fast or had only a few seats left as of Saturday evening. The heavy demand also led to an inflated airfare like Akasa Air’s Delhi-NMIA route fared close to Rs14,000.

NMIA Set to Ease Congestion at CSMIA

Built at a cost of approximately Rs19,650 crore, NMIA’s phase 1 is expected to boast a capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually. It is designed to significantly ease the chronic congestion at Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), establishing a much-needed dual-airport ecosystem for India’s financial capital. With both IndiGo and Akasa Air already opening ticket sales and outlining aggressive expansion plans, the new airport is poised to quickly become a critical transportation hub for Western India, catering to the growing demands of air travel across the region.

Airfares From NMIA:

Delhi-NMIA (IndiGo): Rs6,000

Delhi-NMIA (Akasa): Rs5,606 

NMIA-Delhi (IndiGo): Rs7,744

NMIA-Delhi (Akasa): Rs13,859

Hyderabad-NMIA (IndiGo): Rs5,730

NMIA-Hyderabad (IndiGo): Rs5,588

NMIA-Goa (Akasa): Rs6,100

Goa-NMIA (Akasa): Rs6,700

NMIA-Ahmedabad (IndiGo): Rs6,501

NMIA-Lucknow (IndiGo): Rs6,296

Lucknow-NMIA (IndiGo): Rs6,743

Flight Schedule

Akasa Air

Commencement Date – Flight No. – From – Departure – To – Arrival – Operating Days

December 25 – QP-1831 – Delhi – 5.25am – 8.10am – (Inaugural Day Schedule)

December 25 – QP-1832 – NMIA – 8.50am – 11.15am – (Inaugural Day Schedule)

December 25 – QP-1928 – Goa – 3.40pm – NMIA – 5pm – Daily 

December 25 – QP-1927 – NMIA – 5.40pm – Goa – 6.55pm – Daily

December 26 – QP-1831 – Delhi – 6.30am – NMIA – 8.50am – Daily 

December 26 – QP-1832 – NMIA – 10.55am – Delhi – 1.15pm – Daily

December 26 – QP-1914 – Kochi – 10.50am – NMIA – 12.45pm – Friday & Saturday

December 26 – QP-1915 – NMIA – 1.30pm – Kochi – 3.30pm – Friday & Saturday

December 28 – QP-1914 – Kochi – 8.50am – NMIA – 10.50am – Tue, Wed & Sun

December 28 – QP-1915 – NMIA – 11.30am –  Kochi – 1.30pm – Tue, Wed & Sun

December 31 – QP-1916 – NMIA – 5.40pm – Ahmedabad – 6.50pm – Wednesday

IndiGo

Commencement Date – Flight No. – From – Departure – To – Arrival – Operating Days

December 25 – 6E-6346 – Delhi – 6.40am – NMIA – 8.45am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-5263 – NMIA – 9.25am – Delhi – 11.15am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-460 – Bengaluru – 6.10am – NMIA – 8am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-461 – NMIA – 7.45am – Bengaluru – 9.35am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-882 – NMIA – 8.40am – Hyderabad – 9.55am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-884 – Hyderabad – 10.35am – NMIA – 11.50am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-837 – NMIA – 10.10am – Ahmedabad – 11.15am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-836 – Ahmedabad – 11.55am – NMIA – 1pm – Daily

December 25 – 6E-829 – Lucknow – 6.05am – NMIA – 8.05am – Daily

December 25 – 6E-830 – NMIA – 7.30pm – Lucknow – 9.35pm – Daily