An official statement said that the airline will operate daily flights to Bengaluru and five weekly flights to Delhi. From January 1, 2026, these routes will see twice-daily services, offering passengers greater flexibility and connectivity
Air India Express has stated that its first flight from Navi Mumbai International Airport will takeoff on December 25. Representational Pic/File/PTI
The Air India Express on Friday announced that it will begin operations from the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from December 25, 2025, the first day of commercial operations at the airport, with its first flight departing for Bengaluru.
An official statement said that the airline will operate daily flights to Bengaluru and five weekly flights to Delhi. From January 1, 2026, these routes will see twice-daily services, offering passengers greater flexibility and connectivity.
Bookings are now open through the airline’s website, mobile app, and other major booking channels, it said.
The new services from Navi Mumbai will complement the airline’s expanding network from Bengaluru, one of its key hubs. Air India Express currently operates over 530 weekly flights from Bengaluru, including recent routes to Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jodhpur, and Udaipur, as well as direct international flights to Bangkok, Jeddah, Kuwait, and Riyadh, it further said.
Commenting on the launch, Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express, said, "We are pleased to work with the airport as it opens up capacity for Mumbai and the surrounding region, putting one of India’s largest transport hubs on a rapid growth trajectory. We will offer direct connectivity to Bengaluru and New Delhi, with seamless onward connections on both AIX and Air India networks. Additional flights will be added gradually as we expand operations from Navi Mumbai."
The statement further said that the Air India Express already has a strong presence in Maharashtra, with over 130 weekly flights from Mumbai and over 90 weekly flights from Pune.
From December 1, 2025, the airline will also launch twice-daily flights from Nagpur to Bengaluru.
The airline has recently upgraded its Boeing 737-8 cabins, offering more legroom, USB charging ports, improved seating, and hot ‘Gourmair’ meals. Through its ‘Tales of India’ initiative, the airline showcases over 50 traditional Indian art forms, including Maharashtra’s Warli painting and Paithani weaves.
According to the officials, the inaugural flight into NMIA will be IndiGo 6E460 from Bengaluru, scheduled to land at 8 am on Christmas Day.
The first outbound service—IndiGo 6E882 to Hyderabad—will take off at 8.40 am.
In its first month, the airport will function for 12 hours every day, starting 8 am. It will handle 23 scheduled departures and up to 10 aircraft movements per hour.
From February 1, NMIA will switch to round-the-clock operations and scale up to 34 daily departures to meet growing demand in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8.
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