IndiGo, Akasa Air to commence flight operations from Navi Mumbai airport on December 25

IndiGo and Akasa Air said on Saturday, November 15, 2025, that they will start operations from the newly built Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from December 25.

Akasa will start flights gradually

Akasa Air, which has direct connections to four cities in India, will operate its first flight between Delhi and NMIA on December 25, and will operate flights to Goa, Kochi and Ahmedabad in the following days.

The airline said it will gradually increase its operations from its second airport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and scale it up to 300 domestic and 50 international departures per week over a period of time.

Akasa said it plans to increase up to 10 parking bases by the end of FY2027, with an international expansion focused on key Middle East and Southeast Asian markets, as part of its broader network strategy.

“NMIA for Akasa Air allows us to optimize capacity deployment and capture new demand pools by strengthening our strategic presence in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Western India,” said Praveen Iyer, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air.

IndiGo will start domestic flights

IndiGo will start flight operations to 10 cities with domestic air flights from the airport. IndiGo also said it plans to gradually expand its operations from the second airport of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region by adding direct routes to more destinations in due course.

IndiGo said it will connect the future-ready airport to ten cities in India, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, North Goa (Mopa), Jaipur, Nagpur, Cochin and Mangalore, from December 25.

Gurugram-based IndiGo operates more than 2,300 daily flights to more than 130 destinations, including 90 domestic airports.

According to aircraft fleet tracking site Planespotter.net, as of November 14, the airline had a fleet size of 409 aircraft, with 362 in operation and 47 on the ground.

NMIA opening

On October 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Navi Mumbai International Airport. The airport was built at a cost of ₹19,650 crore.

In pictures | Inside Navi Mumbai International Airport

Phase 1 of Navi Mumbai International Airport is India’s largest Greenfield airport project developed under Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Photo: Special Editing

The airport is said to be well-connected as it is 14 km from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) Sea Port, 22 km from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), 32 km from Thane and 40 km from Bhiwandi. Photo: Special Editing

The lotus-inspired architecture features 12 sculptural columns (anchors rising like opening petals), 17 mega-columns, and unseen pillars that support the weight of the lotus roof canopies. Photo: Special Editing

In line with sustainable practices, the airport will feature dedicated storage for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), approximately 47 MW of solar power generation, and EV bus services for public connectivity across the city. NMIA will also be the first airport in the country to be connected by Water Taxi. Photo: Special Editing

Its unique offerings include the Automated People Mover (APM), a public transportation system planned to connect all four passenger terminals for seamless inter-terminal transfers, and a landside APM connecting city-side infrastructure. Photo: Special Editing

NMIA, the second international airport of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, will work with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to reduce congestion and elevate Mumbai to the global league of multi-airport systems. Photo: Special Editing

Designed to be among the most efficient airports in the world with an area of ​​1160 Ha, the airport will eventually serve 90 million passengers (MPPA) and 3.25 million metric tons of cargo per year. Photo: Special Editing

Designed by London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, the mesh structures of lotus columns will provide passive cooling within the airport. Photo: Special Editing

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The first phase of the airport, which spreads over an area of ​​1,160 hectares, will have a single terminal and a single runway and will have an annual handling capacity of 20 million passengers.

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has been designed to complement the existing Mumbai International Airport and meet the growing demand for air travel from India’s financial capital, IndiGo said.

Strategically located, NMIA is expected to play a significant role in strengthening regional connectivity and promoting economic development in Western India.