Month-long campaign to mark NMIA launch on December 25

Jeet Adani refused to divulge any information about the main attraction of the launch, saying, “That is a surprise. I can’t disclose that yet”

Navi Mumbai: Commercial operations at the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will commence on December 25 with an extended, month-long campaign featuring curated welcome programmes, gifts and technology-led passenger services, said Jeet Adani, director at Adani Airports Holdings Limited, which operates and manages the NMIA.

Flight operations at NMIA will commence in a calibrated and phased manner, beginning with domestic passenger flights (Hindustan Times)

“The opening has been planned as more than a routine operational start. Every passenger is going to feel special,” Adani said while speaking to reporters last week. He refused to divulge any information about the main attraction of the launch, saying, “That is a surprise. I can’t disclose that yet.” But he clarified that the attraction pertained to passenger programming and experiences rather than flight operations.

CIDCO vice-chairman and managing director Vijay Singhal said the December 25 launch will also mark the start of calibrated domestic flight operations, with 33 aircraft movements on the first day. ”Flights on day one will be operated by IndiGo, Akasa Air, Air India Express and Star Air,” he said.

Promoting local culture

During an interaction with the media on December 17, Adani said passengers accessing the airport on the launch day will encounter a series of curated elements across the terminal, including airport-themed giveaways created exclusively for the launch, multiple selfie points and cultural showcases reflecting the airport’s identity and Maharashtra’s local heritage.

The NMIA’s terminal architecture and interiors are rooted in local context, Adani said. The exterior draws inspiration from the lotus pond that once existed on the site, while the interiors showcase Maharashtra’s cultural identity through installations by local artists.

“We’ve brought local artists onto this stage so that millions of people can see them,” Adani said, pointing to installations themed around the Dadar flower market, Sassoon Dock, forts in Maharashtra and Warli art.

Two retail outlets will be dedicated exclusively to local art and culture, while food and beverage offerings will prioritise regional cuisine prepared by local vendors alongside select national and international brands.

“Our first preference will be local food made by local people,” Adani said.

Technology-led operations

While the airport has been designed as a technology-forward facility, all mission-critical systems will retain human oversight, Adani said.

The Air Traffic Control and the Airport Operations Control Centre will be fully manned, and avoid untested automation deliberately, while the baggage handling system will be fully automated, with no manual intervention between check-in and aircraft loading. Passengers will be able to track boarding status, security queues and baggage movement in real time through mobile applications, and they will receive alerts on arrival at the airport indicating when their bag would appear on the belt.

“As a passenger, you will see on your phone exactly what my controller sees,” Adani said. “Even if yours is the last bag, you’ll know exactly when it’s coming, so you don’t have to stand and wait.”

Flight operations will commence in a calibrated and phased manner, beginning with domestic passenger flights. Initially, the airport will handle around 30 domestic flights a day as systems and teams stabilise. International flights will commence once domestic operations settle, by February or March, Adani said.

Singhal too said the launch has been deliberately phased and calibrated. “We are not front-loading volumes. The focus is on operational stability, predictability and then scaling up in a structured manner,” he said.

Operations in phase I will be anchored by terminal 1, which has a designed capacity of 20 million passengers annually, Singhal said. “The south runway, cargo terminal, fuel farm and multi-level car parking will all be operational from day one, enabling NMIA to function as a complete airport ecosystem at launch,” he noted.

Cargo services will commence alongside passenger operations on December 25, initially focusing on belly cargo, with dedicated freighter operations to be introduced in phases. Global logistics major FedEx will be one of the anchor cargo clients at NMIA, operating a large facility at the airport and routing a significant part of its regional express network through Navi Mumbai.

Singhal said the airport has received its aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, confirming its readiness for commercial operations.

Night operations at the airport would commence only in January-end and NMIA’s terminal 1 would approach saturation within the next 18 months, he noted.