Incredible new £1.5bn airport open to end travel chaos in one of world's biggest cities

India's financial capital, Mumbai, one of the world's most densely populated cities, finally has a second airport after decades of delays. For those travelling by air, the newly opened Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) brings with it a promise of more flights, shorter lines, and a smoother overall flying experience. No less than an engineering feat, NMI will finally take the burden off Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport's (BOM) shoulders - the city's lone, overburdened airport for decades now. As India's second-busiest airport, BOM has been functioning at maximum capacity for years now.

Costing over $2 billion (roughly £1.5 billion), Mumbai's new air getaway was formally inaugurated on October 8 by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The first commercial flights from NMI are expected to start operating from December 2025. Addressing the media on site at NMI on inauguration day, PM Modi said: "In 2014, we only had 74 airports. Today, we have more than 160. With this new airport, Maharashtra farmers will be able to connect with the supermarkets of Europe and Middle East. And the fishermen's produce can quickly reach the global market." The Navi Mumbai International Airport will have the capability to handle up to 20 million passengers annually - a feat that will immediately ease the strain on Mumbai's existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport, which handled approximately 54.8 million passengers in 2024, up 6.3% from the previous year.

For a while now, Indian officials have maintained that BOM is hitting capacity limits, making long lines, delays, and overcrowding an unavoidable part of the city's air travel system.

Flattening hills, bridging creeks, and diverting rivers - Navi Mumbai International Airport has been nearly 20 years in the making, and the journey hasn't been without its challenges. NMI was built via a public-private partnership (PPP) between the state of Maharashtra's government and Adani Airports Holdings. Adani, which also operates BOM, owns 74% of NMI, while the state of Maharashtra holds the remaining 26%.

As per Adani, the two Mumbai airports will operate "in synergy in a twin airport system - easing pressure on BOM". Adani has raised $1 billion to upgrade BOM, and a good chunk of the passenger traffic moving from BOM to NMI will allow modernisation work at BOM to commence.

Navi Mumbai International Airport is launching with a singular runway and one terminal. Adani shared in a statement: "Over time, the airport will scale to four runways and multiple terminals, with a dedicated cargo terminal and state-of-the-art facilities for perishables and express cargo, boosting India's trade and logistics ecosystem."

Sitting on 2,866 acres of land, NMI airport has massive potential and ample space to expand, and the Indian government, in partnership with Adani, expects it to have the capacity to handle approximately 90 million passengers by 2032. This would put Mumbai on the map and in the same league as globally renowned, multi-airport hubs such as London, Dubai, and New York.

Airport officials say travellers can expect faster check-ins powered by biometrics, smoother connections, and shorter lines, as operations kick off at NMI airport and airlines begin to expand their routes.

IndiGo, India's largest airline carrier, is expected to be one of the first to launch operations at NMI, as the carrier plans to serve over 15 domestic destinations initially as it shifts dozens of daily flights to the new airport once it becomes operational. International routes are also in the pipeline.

Additionally, the Air India Group has announced that its budget subsidiary, Air India Express, will operate 20 daily departures from NMI, including international routes. Akasa Air, a homegrown low-cost carrier, is also joining in, starting with over 100 weekly flights operating from NMI.

Cargo operations will play a crucial role as well. NMI airport opens with an annual capacity of 800,000 tons - key to supporting Mumbai's position as a hub for pharmaceuticals and e-commerce. A dedicated general aviation terminal will accommodate up to 75 business jets, making it the largest facility of its kind in India.