Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) officially commenced operations on Thursday, December 25, 2025, marking a significant milestone for Mumbai's aviation infrastructure. Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani expressed his pride and highlighted the importance of the project for the city and its residents.
"This is a very proud moment for Mumbaikars," Adani stated, shortly after the first commercial flight landed at NMIA. He emphasized the Adani Group's commitment to developing a world-class facility. Adani noted the challenges Mumbai has faced due to the existing airport operating at full capacity for the last decade. "Mumbai was struggling for the last 10 years for having more facilities at the airport," he said. "The present Mumbai airport was actually fully jammed. This one will basically ease out the traffic movement there".
The inaugural arrival was IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru, which touched down at 8:00 AM, greeted by a traditional water salute. The first departure was IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad, which took off at 8:40 AM.
NMIA will initially operate for 12 hours daily, between 8 AM and 8 PM, with plans to scale up to 24-hour operations from February. During this initial phase, the airport will handle up to 24 scheduled daily departures to 13 destinations and manage up to 10 aircraft movements per hour. IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air, and Star Air will operate domestic services connecting NMIA to nine destinations across India.
The airport is equipped with Digi Yatra-enabled contactless processing at various points and staffed with trained personnel. Airport authorities have advised passengers to arrive at least two hours before their domestic departures on the opening day.
The first phase of the five-phase project, spanning 1,160 hectares, includes one terminal and one runway, with a capacity to handle 20 million passengers annually. This initial phase was completed at a cost of ₹19,650 crore. Upon completion of all five phases, NMIA will be able to accommodate 90 million passengers each year, alongside dedicated cargo terminals and multimodal connectivity. The airport is expected to reduce congestion at the current Mumbai International Airport and significantly increase capacity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The Navi Mumbai International Airport project was initially conceived in 1997 by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) of Maharashtra. NMIA aims to strengthen Mumbai’s position as a global gateway and support long-term economic growth by expanding aviation capacity. New AC bus services will connect the airport with key areas from Marol to Cuffe Parade.
