NMIA's International Operations Commencement Delayed Due To West Asia War; Target To Achieve 50,000 Daily Passengers By December 2026

Mumbai: The long-awaited commencement of international flight operations at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has been delayed due to the war in West Asia. The airport was planning to start international operations from the commencement of the summer schedule but now aims to have significant operations by the beginning of the winter schedule.

According to a senior NMIA official, the airport was ready to commence international flight operations at the start of the 2026 summer schedule, which began on March 29. The airport was expecting around 32 daily air traffic movements, including a significant commitment by IndiGo, from the first day of operations but the launch has been held back due to the ongoing tensions in West Asia and the Middle East.

The plan has therefore been delayed for a few months until the airlines are confident on launching overseas flights from the new airport. According to industry experts, airlines are also holding back on international expansion due to rising aviation turbine fuel costs, which have been a major blow to their profits.

However, the official told The Free Press Journal that international flights from NMIA might start as soon as the geopolitical tensions settle down, and operations will be in full swing by this year’s winter schedule, which begins on October 25. An airport spokesperson said NMIA plans to increase daily traffic to 50,000 passengers by December, including international passengers.

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From the commencement of operations on December 25, NMIA has seen a significant improvement in load factor. The daily air traffic movements have increased to more than 140 flights every day to 46 destinations, with a load factor of over 170 passengers per flight. The spokesperson also added that the work for the airport’s phase-3 development is currently in the planning stage, and the groundwork will start post-monsoon.

Speaking at the Airport360 Expo on Thursday, NMIA’s CEO Capt. BVJK Sharma said, “We want to put NMIA in place to make it a global aviation hub. We started with 40 flights to 13 destinations and are now seeing around 150 flights to 46 destinations. The daily passenger movement has reached to around 20,000, with the highest traffic recorded at 21,000 passengers in a single day.”

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