Navi Mumbai Airport Takes Flight: India's Newest Gateway Opens

• Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), promoted by Adani Group, begins commercial flight operations on Thursday.
• Initially, operations run 12 hours (8 am-8 pm), handling 15 departures to 9 destinations with IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air, Star Air.
• Inaugurated by PM Modi, NMIA aims to ease Mumbai International Airport congestion, scaling to 24/7 operations from February next year.
• Phase I, built at Rs 19,650 crore, has 20 million annual passenger capacity, expanding to 90 million across five phases.
• Adani Group holds 74% stake; features lotus-inspired architecture and Digi Yatra-enabled contactless processing.

Why It Matters: NMIA opens, boosting Mumbai's aviation capacity and economic growth.