The new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is scheduled to start commercial operations on December 25, 2025, making Mumbai the first Indian city to operate two major airports simultaneously. Built on 1,160 hectares with an investment of ₹19,650 crore (US$2.186 billion), the airport’s initial phase—comprising a single terminal and runway—will have the capacity to manage 20 million passengers a year, helping reduce the load on the city’s current airport.

Between December 25 and January 25, the airport will function from 8 am to 8 pm, handling 23 planned departures each day and accommodating up to 10 aircraft movements per hour to support a smooth start to operations. The inaugural arrival will be IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru at 8:00 am, followed by IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad at 8:40 am, which will be the airport’s first passenger departure. A comprehensive ORAT (Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer) test has already been completed, involving large-scale simulations of check-in, security screening, boarding, and baggage collection with hundreds of participants to verify that all systems are fully prepared for opening day. Starting February 2026, NMIA is expected to move to 24×7 operations, boosting capacity to 34 daily departures as it progresses toward becoming one of India’s major passenger and cargo hubs. With Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport operating near peak saturation — recently crossing 1,036 aircraft movements in 24 hours — NMIA will unlock critical capacity, boost trade and logistics, and accelerate regional economic development for decades.

The project is led by NMIAL, a PPP joint venture between the Adani Group (74%) and CIDCO (26%), marking one of India’s most significant private-public infrastructure collaborations, designed to elevate global competitiveness in aviation.