Mumbai, Dec 24: Mumbai is set to join the league of global cities like London, New York and Dubai with a multi-airport model as the much-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport begins commercial flight operations on Thursday.
The launch will mark a historic shift for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), making it the first in India to operate a dual-airport system alongside the existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
First commercial flight to land at 8 am
On Thursday, NMIA’s 14-year-long journey from conceptualisation to realisation will come to an end and mark a new beginning when the first commercial flight with passengers will land at the airport at 8 am.
The greenfield airport (built from scratch on undeveloped land), developed under a joint venture between the Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. (AAHL) and City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) at the cost of Rs 16,700 crores, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8.
IndiGo flight from Bengaluru to mark opening
The first-day operations will commence at 8 am with the landing of an IndiGo flight from Bengaluru, while the first departure will be recorded at 8.40 am by an IndiGo flight to Hyderabad.
The first day will record only 15 arrivals and the same number of departures, although the current capability allows it to manage up to 10 air traffic movements per hour.
Phased scale-up of operations planned
However, the airport operator in the initial phase aims to manage 24 scheduled daily departures to 13 destinations across the country from 8 am to 8 pm, with plans to gradually scale up operations to round-the-clock from February 2026.
NMIA is designed to handle 20 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in the first phase, with future expansion planned to scale capacity up to 90 million MPPA.
Four airlines to operate on day one
As announced, Indian airlines including IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air will commence their operations connecting NMIA to nine Indian cities on the first day.
IndiGo, which is India’s largest airline according to market share, will operate nine departures from NMIA on day one, covering 60% of the operations, whereas other airlines will operate two departures each.
More destinations to be added after launch
29th – Coimbatore, Chennai, Jaipur
30th – Vadodara
DigiYatra-enabled from day one
According to the airport operator, passenger services from day one will be supported by Digi Yatra-enabled contactless processing at designated touchpoints, along with trained terminal staff across kerbside, check-in, security and boarding areas. Retail and food and beverage offerings have been curated with a focus on affordability and local relevance.
Airlines to fly
IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air, Star Air
Destinations
December 25 – Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mangaluru, Ahmedabad, Goa Mopa, Lucknow, Nagpur
December 29 – Coimbatore, Chennai, Jaipur
December 30 – Vadodara
Day One Traffic
Day one arrivals – 15
Day one departures – 15
Arrivals on day one
Time – Airline – Flight No. – Origin
8 am – IndiGo – 6E460 – Bengaluru
8.10 am – Air India Express – IX2914 – Bengaluru
8.10 am – Akasa Air – QP1831 – Delhi
8.15 am – IndiGo – 6E829 – Lucknow
8.45 am – IndiGo – 6E6346 – Delhi
10 am – IndiGo – 6E907 – Cochin
12.05 pm – IndiGo – 6E884 – Hyderabad
1 pm – IndiGo – 6E836 – Ahmedabad
1.40 pm – Star Air – S5703 – Ahmedabad
1.25 pm – Air India Express – IX2152 – Delhi
4.05 pm – Star Air – S5707 – Goa Mopa
5 pm – Akasa Air – QP1928 – Goa Mopa
5.35 pm – IndiGo – 6E818 – Nagpur
5.45 pm – IndiGo – 6E866 – Mangaluru
6.50 pm – IndiGo – 6E2055 – Goa Mopa
Also Watch:
Departures on day one
Time – Airline – Flight No. – Destination
8.40 am – IndiGo – 6E882 – Hyderabad
8.50 am – Akasa Air – QP1832 – Delhi
8.55 am – Air India Express – IX2915 – Bengaluru
9.25 am – IndiGo – 6E5263 – Delhi
10.10 am – IndiGo – 6E837 – Ahmedabad
10.40 am – IndiGo – 6E865 – Mangaluru
1.45 pm – IndiGo – 6E817 – Nagpur
2.05 pm – Air India Express – IX2153 – Delhi
2.10 pm – Star Air – S5704 – Ahmedabad (connecting to Nanded)
4 pm – IndiGo – 6E2054 – Goa Mopa
4.35 pm – Star Air – S5708 – Goa Mopa (connecting to Bengaluru)
5.40 pm – Akasa Air – QP1927 – Goa Mopa
6.25 pm – IndiGo – 6E908 – Cochin
7.30 pm – IndiGo – 6E830 – Lucknow
7.45 pm – IndiGo – 6E461 – Bengaluru
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