Navi Mumbai Airport Begins Commercial Flights

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) started its commercial flights on December 25, 2025.

The first flight was an IndiGo plane from Bengaluru, which landed at 8 am and was welcomed with a water cannon salute.

The airport has been built to help reduce crowding at the old Mumbai airport and can handle 20 million passengers every year in its first phase.

It will eventually be able to handle 90 million passengers annually.

Four airlines are operating from NMIA on the first day, connecting it to nine cities in India.

The airport also has a special service called the Pranam Service for senior citizens, allowing them to visit shops and restaurants before their flights.

The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8, 2025, and has been developed under a public-private partnership.

A big drone show with 1,515 drones was organized the night before the airport started operations, showing beautiful patterns in the sky.

The airport is designed to be a major hub for travel and cargo, supporting the growth of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.