‘Everyone was treated with respect and…’

Suryakumar Yadav, Sunil Chhetri

Navi Mumbai got its first international airport and successful athletes Suryakumar Yadav and Sunil Chhetri shared their thoughts on attending the opening ceremony on December 25, 2025. Sharing his thoughts on NMIA on his Instagram account, star cricketer Suryakumar wrote, “Yesterday was special but in a very simple way. Seeing the culture, people and energy of Maharashtra come together at the NMIA opening day celebrations felt close to home.”

Surya praised that the mea event focused more on celebrating the people, their nation, culture and warriors. “I felt like everyone was treated with respect and warmth. The focus was clearly on the people, the culture, our nation, our warriors, and those who contribute every day. I am truly grateful for the experience at @navimumairport.”

Here is Suryakumar Yadav’s article

Even ace football player Sunil shared his thoughts on being a part of a landmark event. She shared a carousel post and wrote, “I had the chance to be a part of something special at the NMIA celebrations. The space and effort that went into putting this together is commendable to say the least.”

Here is Sunil Chhetri’s article

On December 25, Navi Mumbai Airport started commercial operations. The official name of the new airport is Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). With its launch, Mumbai joins global cities such as London and New York that operate multiple airports to handle growing air traffic. It is one of India’s largest greenfield airport projects and was completed in record time.

The first commercial flight, IndiGo flight 6E460 from Bengaluru, landed at 8 am and was greeted with the traditional water cannon salute. On its first day of operation, the airport operated 48 flights connecting nine domestic cities and served more than 4,000 passengers.