Air India Express starts Abu Dhabi service from Navi Mumbai airport

Navi Mumbai International Airport launched its international operations with Air India Express operating the first overseas flight to Abu Dhabi. The airport, which began domestic services in December 2025, has already connected 46 domestic destinations and served over 2.3 million passengers

Abu Dhabi: Navi Mumbai International Airport commenced international services on Wednesday, with Air India Express operating the first overseas flight from the airport to Abu Dhabi.

The Air India Express flight, carrying around 100 passengers, took off from the airport at 2.55 am (IST) and landed at Abu Dhabi airport in the UAE after around two-and-a-half hours.

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The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), being developed in multiple phases, started domestic services on December 25, 2025. Air India Express will operate flights from there to Abu Dhabi three times a week.

As the Air India Express flight, operated with a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, prepared for take-off, the pilot in command said it would be a historic flight and a landmark journey.

Shakir Abid, who was on board the inaugural flight along with his wife and daughter, said he was excited and that the journey was also about creating good memories.

They are taking a connecting flight from Abu Dhabi to Muscat, where they will celebrate their daughter Safa Abid’s third birthday later this week.

The inaugural flight also carried NMIA’s first global perishable export shipment.

In less than seven months, NMIA has connected 46 domestic destinations, served more than 2.3 million passengers and now handles around 150 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) each day.

Air India Express Chairman Nipun Aggarwal, in a release issued on Tuesday, said Navi Mumbai is a key pillar of its dual-airport strategy, complementing the network from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

“The launch of our first scheduled international flight marks the beginning of a new phase in Navi Mumbai International Airport’s journey,” Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) CEO Arun Bansal said in the release.

The airport is being developed in multiple phases by NMIAL (Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd), a special purpose vehicle that is 74 per cent owned by AAHL, while the remaining stake is held by CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation).