NEW DELHI: The greenfield Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) became operational on Thursday, nearly three decades after it was conceived to ease congestion at Mumbai’s primary airport.An IndiGo Airbus A320 from Bengaluru made a landing at 8 am and was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute, marking the start of commercial flight operations. The first arrival, IndiGo flight 6E 460, was followed by the airport’s first departure, IndiGo flight 6E 882 to Hyderabad at 8.40 am, completing NMIA’s inaugural arrival and departure cycle.
The launch marks a major expansion of Mumbai’s aviation capacity and a significant milestone in India’s infrastructure journey. With NMIA now operational, Mumbai joins global aviation hubs such as London, New York, Moscow, Tokyo and Shanghai, each supported by multiple airports to meet rising demand, NMIA said.On the first day of operations, IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and regional carrier Star Air operated 48 flights connecting nine domestic destinations and serving over 4,000 passengers. Peak traffic was recorded between 5 am and 7 am, reflecting strong early demand and operational readiness, NMIA said.During the initial phase, the airport will operate for 12 hours between 8 am and 8 pm, with up to 24 scheduled daily departures to 13 destinations and the ability to manage up to 10 aircraft movements per hour. From February next year, operations are planned to progressively scale up to round-the-clock services.IndiGo said it will initially connect NMIA with 13 domestic destinations between December 25 and December 30, including Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Goa (Mopa) and Cochin.Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani welcomed passengers from the maiden flight and interacted with airport staff, frontline workers and first-time flyers. He said welcoming NMIA’s first passengers alongside Param Vir Chakra awardees offered a glimpse of India now taking shape.Calling it “a proud day for Mumbai and for India”, Adani said, “NMIA stands as a promise of what the country can achieve when ambition is guided by purpose and delivered with speed and execution”.As part of the inauguration, farmers, underprivileged families and colleagues with disabilities experienced their first-ever flight through a special chartered aerial tour of Mumbai. India Post also released a commemorative First Flight Carried Special Cover featuring the NMIA terminal, flown on an IndiGo service to Goa.The airport is being developed in multiple phases under Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd, a special purpose vehicle in which the Adani Group holds a 74 per cent stake and CIDCO owns the remaining 26 per cent.
