Man Travels From Bengaluru To Explore Navi Mumbai International Airport: 'Booked Tickets 2 Months Ago'

The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) began its commercial operations on Thursday (Dec 25), marking a key milestone in Maharashtra's aviation network. One of the first passengers revealed that he specifically booked tickets for his family in advance to come and explore the new state-of-the-art airport.

IndiGo flight 6E460, travelling from Bengaluru, landed at the NMIA at 8 AM and was welcomed with the water cannon salute, a ceremonial aviation tradition in which fire trucks spray arcs of water over an aircraft as it taxis.

“We came from Bengaluru, and we booked this trip specifically to explore the Navi Mumbai airport. We will stay here two days, sightsee around in Mumbai and return to Bengaluru," the passenger named Ram Prasad was quoted as saying by ANI.

"It was a great experience. First of all, I thank Mr Adani (Gautam Adani). He came and welcomed all the passengers. My daughter is the first passenger, he welcomed her. I am very happy. Everything is good,” Prasad said, adding that he booked the tickets two months ago.

The landing was followed by the airport's first departure, IndiGo flight 6E882 to Hyderabad, which took off at 8:40 am.

Another passenger, Sunil Bajaj, told ANI, “It feels very good that an international airport has come to Navi Mumbai... The driveway is beautiful and big... It will be futuristic."

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Navi Mumbai International Airport to begin operations today

A passenger, Ram Prasad, says, "We came from Bangalore, and we booked this trip specifically to explore the Navi Mumbai airport.... First of all, I thank Mr Adani. He came and welcomed all the… https://t.co/1zXMD15il4 pic.twitter.com/R1yAOQFf5t

— ANI (@ANI) December 25, 2025

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Navi Mumbai International Airport

Spread across 2,866 acres, the NMIA is a public-private partnership (PPP) between Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), a subsidiary of Adani Airports Holdings Limited (AAHL), which holds the majority stake of 74 per cent, while the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (CIDCO) holds the remaining 26 per cent.

In the first month, the airport will operate for 12 hours, between 8 AM to 8 PM, handling 23 scheduled departures. Starting February 2026, the airport will commence 24-hour operations, expanding to 34 departures to compensate for the rising demand for air travel in the region. NMIA is expected to handle 90 million passengers per annum when fully operational.