Domestic carrier Air India Express (AIX), the low-cost arm of the Tata Group-owned Air India, announced on Friday that it will commence flight services from the newly-constructed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting December 25. This date marks the first day of commercial operations at the airport.
Initial Route Network and Expansion
Air India Express will initially launch services to two of its largest domestic hubs: Bengaluru and New Delhi.
- Initial Schedule (Starting December 25): The airline will operate daily flights to Bengaluru and five weekly flights to Delhi. The very first flight from the new facility will depart for Bengaluru.
- Expansion (Starting January 2026): Air India Express plans to quickly scale up its operations, announcing that it will operate twice-daily services on both the Bengaluru and Delhi routes from January 2026.
According to Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express, the move is a strategic one: “We are happy to work with the airport as it opens up capacity for Mumbai and its catchment area, putting one of India’s largest transport hubs back on a rapid growth trajectory.”
Connectivity and Fleet
The new services from Navi Mumbai are set to provide direct connectivity to Bengaluru and New Delhi, along with seamless onward connections on both the AIX and Air India (AI) networks.
- Bengaluru Hub: The launch further complements AIX’s expanding network from Bengaluru, which the airline identifies as a key hub. From Bengaluru, AIX currently operates over 530 weekly flights and has recently introduced routes to Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Jodhpur, and Udaipur, as well as international destinations like Bangkok, Jeddah, Kuwait, and Riyadh.
- Overall Operations: Air India Express currently operates over 500 daily flights in total, connecting 45 domestic and 16 international destinations. Its fleet comprises 115 aircraft, split between 75 Boeing 737s and 40 Airbus A320s.
Singh confirmed that the airline intends to continue expanding its presence, stating, “Going forward, we will add more flights in a phased manner as we expand our operations at Navi Mumbai.”