Air India Express is set to become the first airline to launch international passenger services from Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), with flights to Abu Dhabi scheduled to commence on July 15. Bookings for the inaugural overseas service are likely to open on Saturday, according to a source.
The launch will mark the beginning of international passenger operations at the greenfield airport, which started domestic commercial services on December 25, 2025, after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October last year.
Air India Group's low-cost carrier will operate the Navi Mumbai-Abu Dhabi route from July 15, while other domestic and foreign airlines are also expected to start international services from the airport in the coming months, the source told PTI.
The development comes days after Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) chief executive officer BVJK Sharma said the airport was preparing to begin international passenger and cargo operations from July 15.
"On July 15, we are starting with freighters, and we expect the freighters to ramp up to almost 18 weekly flights. Good news is also that there is movement on the passenger side and hopefully on July 15 international passenger flights will also start," Sharma had told reporters on the sidelines of the Brihanmumbai Customs Broker's Association-hosted Logistics Conclave in Mumbai.
Sharma made the announcement after a senior official from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) reviewed the airport's readiness for international operations on June 16.
The airport operator had initially planned to commence international services during the summer schedule period between late March and late October but deferred the rollout due to the conflict in West Asia.
Owned by the Adani Group, with the Maharashtra government's planning agency Cidco holding a 26 per cent stake, NMIA currently handles around 20,000 passengers daily and records nearly 150 arrivals and departures each day.
The airport expects passenger traffic to rise to 50,000 per day by the end of the year, with daily air traffic movements projected to increase to 380.