Navi Mumbai Airport to Start International Flights From July 15

Navi Mumbai International Airport in Navi Mumbai is expected to commence its international flight operations, including both passenger and cargo services, starting July 15. The announcement was made by B V J K Sharma, the Chief Executive Officer of Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd, who was speaking to the media on Wednesday. The start of these international operations is set to significantly enhance global connectivity for the entire Mumbai metropolitan region.

Speaking on the sidelines of a logistics conclave, Sharma confirmed that the international launch will begin with freighter operations. The airport management expects these cargo services to scale up rapidly to almost 18 weekly flights.

Alongside the cargo services, passenger operations are also slated to expand. Sharma shared that international passenger flights are expected to begin on July 15 as well, noting that there has been positive movement on the passenger side of operations. Major carriers IndiGo and Air India Express are already lined up to operate these international flights from the new Navi Mumbai facility.

As the second airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the facility was commissioned on December 25 last year. Since its commissioning, it has quickly grown to become the eighth busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic, according to official data from the Airports Authority of India.

During the month of April, the Navi Mumbai airport handled 5.24 lakh passengers. In comparison, Mumbai’s primary airport, which currently stands as the second busiest airport in the country, handled 40.47 lakh passengers in the same month.

Moving forward, both airports will continue to manage domestic and passenger flights. The Navi Mumbai facility is specifically expected to absorb the incremental demand for air travel generated within the expanding Mumbai metropolitan region, helping to distribute the heavy traffic currently experienced by the main Mumbai airport.