Low-cost carrier IndiGo on Saturday announced the launch of its flight operations from the newly inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting December 25. In its initial phase, the airline will connect NMIA to 10 major cities across the country, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa (Mopa), Jaipur, Nagpur, Cochin, and Mangalore. IndiGo stated that it plans to gradually expand its presence at NMIA by adding more direct routes to additional destinations in the coming months.
Akasa Air also announced that its maiden flight—from Delhi to Navi Mumbai—will land on December 25, marking the launch of operations. The airline will initially connect Navi Mumbai to Delhi, Goa, Kochi and Ahmedabad. A special inaugural flight (QP 1831) from Delhi is scheduled to depart at 5:25 am and arrive at 8:10 am on December 25, with the return service leaving at 8:50 am. Regular flights to these destinations will run daily or on select days depending on the route.
According to early schedules, daily services will operate to Delhi and Goa, while flights to Kochi will run five times a week and Ahmedabad flights will be available on Wednesdays, with additional services beginning December 31. Initial fares for the Navi Mumbai–Delhi sector were listed around Rs 6,000. The airport will begin with 12-hour operations starting 8 am.
NMIA, the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, has been designed to complement the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and address the growing demand for air travel from India’s financial capital. According to officials, the launch of operations at NMIA will help decongest CSMIA and significantly boost the country’s overall aviation capacity.Once the airport is ready with two runways, it will have the capacity to handle nine crore passengers (annually). NMIA and CSMIA together will allow Mumbai to handle approximately 145–150 million passengers annually.
Located in Ulwe in Navi Mumbai’s Panvel taluka, the airport is accessible via multiple road corridors, including the Eastern Expressway, Sion-Panvel Highway, and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (Atal Setu), which significantly reduces travel time from South Mumbai. Depending on traffic and the starting point, travel time to NMIA may range between 1 to 1.5 hours, with faster access possible from eastern suburbs and via the new coastal and MTHL links. Commuters can also reach NMIA via Panvel railway station on the Harbour Line, or through state transport, CIDCO and planned express bus services from hubs such as Dadar, Thane, Vashi and Panvel.