Navi Mumbai Airport goes live with first flights, water cannon welcome

Air India Express became one of the first airlines to launch services from the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) after inaugurating commercial operations from the newly opened airport on Thursday. The flight company owned by the Tata Group began its direct services to Bengaluru and Delhi, marking NMIA’s debut as the second aviation gateway of Mumbai.

The airport's first Air India Express service took off for Bengaluru, with the landmark moment marked by a special ceremony at NMIA, during which the airline handed the first passenger a commemorative boarding pass. After the Bengaluru launch, the airline’s maiden flight to Delhi was scheduled to leave Navi Mumbai at 14:05 hours and touch down in the national capital at 16:20 hours, according to a report in ET.

Earlier in the day, IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru arrived at Navi Mumbai International Airport at 8 am and was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute, where fire tenders spray arches of water over the aircraft as it taxis, as reported by NDTV.

Before the first arrival, IndiGo personnel marked the occasion by cutting a cake and breaking coconuts, following customary rituals. The airport’s first outbound service soon followed the arrival, IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad, which departed at 8.40 am.

Over 1500 drones feature ahead of airport operational launch

Meanwhile, a drone show featuring 1,515 drones was organised on Wednesday (December 24, 2025) to mark the operational launch of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) on Thursday. A video posted by the news agency ANI, citing Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), shows drones moving in seamless coordination, creating striking aerial formations such as 3D Lotus blooms, a plane flying over Mumbai, Lotus Design Interiors, Airport Logo, Green Airport Rise of India, among others, all centred around the theme and splendour of the airport.

NMIA, the second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region after Mumbai International Airport, is poised to emerge as one of India’s busiest and most important aviation hubs. Spread across 1,160 hectares (2,866 acres), the airport is designed to handle 90 million passengers annually upon completion. It will feature two parallel runways, modern terminals and advanced cargo facilities to ensure smooth passenger movement and efficient freight operations.

In its first phase, NMIA will have the capacity to handle 20 million passengers a year and process 0.5 million metric tonnes of cargo annually.