Adani Group announces launch date for Navi Mumbai International Airport; operations to begin December 25

New Delhi: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), India’s newest greenfield airport and one of the country’s most anticipated infrastructure projects, will begin commercial operations on December 25, according to a media release submitted by Adani Enterprises Limited. The airport, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8, is expected to significantly expand aviation capacity for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

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In its opening phase, NMIA will operate daily between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, handling 23 scheduled departures and managing up to 10 aircraft movements per hour. Approximately 120 daily air traffic movements (ATMs) are expected during this period. Full 24x7 operations are scheduled to commence from February 2026, increasing departures to 34 per day.

The first scheduled arrival on launch day will be IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru at 8:00 AM, followed by the first departure, IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad at 8:40 AM. In the initial rollout, IndiGo, Air India Express, and Akasa Air will operate services connecting NMIA to 16 domestic destinations, including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, Jaipur, and Lucknow.

To prepare for a seamless operational start, the airport has been conducting Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) trials with all stakeholders. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was formally inducted on October 29, ensuring security readiness across airport functions.

Developed under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, Navi Mumbai International Airport is managed by Navi Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (NMIAL). Adani Airports Holdings Limited, through Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), holds a 74 percent stake, while the remaining 26 percent is held by CIDCO, the Maharashtra Government’s development authority.

Spread across 1,160 hectares, the airport is designed for a final capacity of 90 million passengers per annum, with two parallel runways, advanced terminals, and cargo facilities. Its architecture is inspired by the lotus, India’s national flower, and incorporates renewable energy and green building practices to position NMIA as a model for sustainable airport development. In its first phase, the airport will be capable of handling 20 million passengers annually.

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