Navi Mumbai International Airport is now open: Photos, videos, and what to know |
Navi Mumbai International Airport is now open. As per its latest post shared on X, it added, “We have opened up our skies to the world. The first touchdown at #NMIA marks a defining moment as Navi Mumbai International Airport welcomes its first commercial flight with a ceremonial water cannon salute, officially commencing scheduled passenger operations.”After almost 20 years of construction, the greenfield Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) awarded its first flights on Thursday, December 25th in a development which shows great progress to how Maharashtra will soar forward in air travel and infrastructure.Watch the airport receiving its first arriving flight:Navi Mumbai International Airport is all set to begin commercial flights today, giving shape to a second major airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region after numerous delays over the years. The airport is widely anticipated to grow into one of India’s busiest, and a focus for aviation across the country.On its first day of operations, the airport is likely to handle more than 4,000 passengers, according to people familiar with the developments.Here’s everything you need to know about the Navi Mumbai International Airport — including flights, schedules, routes, pictures, and more.
Four airlines will operate domestic services in the initial phase of commercial operations at Navi Mumbai International Airport, as per an airport spokesperson. The carriers are IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air.Navi Mumbai International Airport will first have regional connections to nine Indian cities such as Hyderabad, Goa and Bengaluru. Among those, routes to Delhi will see the most traffic, with a combined three flights a day by IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa Air, according to people familiar with the plans.
During the first stage of service, the airport will accommodate as many as 24 daily departures to 13 destinations. It will also be capable of handling up to 10 aircraft movements per hour, an NMIA statement said.The terminal building opened to departure passengers at around 6.40 AM, an NMIA spokesperson said.Chairman of Adani Group Gautam Adani welcomed passengers at the Navi Mumbai International Airport after a commercial flight operation commenced shortly after the inauguration.Built at an estimated cost of INR 19,650 crore in its first phase, the Navi Mumbai International Airport currently operates with one runway and one terminal, with an annual passenger handling capacity of 20 million.When all five expansion phases are complete, the airport will be able to accommodate 90 million passengers per year, along with dedicated cargo terminals and other logistics infrastructure.In its initial phase, NMIA will operate for 12 hours a day, from 8 AM to 8 PM. On the first day, it is scheduled to handle 15 departures and has the capacity to manage up to 10 aircraft movements per hour, the report said.
