IndiGo has established a commanding presence at Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL), operating nearly 70 percent of departing flights from the four-month-old airport, according to data from April. The airport has experienced significant growth in daily departures, rising from 20 flights in March to 80 in April, driven largely by IndiGo’s expansion strategy.

The airline currently operates an average of 55 daily departures from NMIAL, equating to roughly 385 flights per week. IndiGo connects the airport to 45 destinations, including major cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, and Chandigarh. This substantial increase has helped NMIAL climb the ranks to become India’s ninth-largest domestic airport, surpassing Guwahati and poised to overtake Pune in the near future.

Other carriers operating at NMIAL include Akasa and Air India Express, each running approximately seven to eight daily departures. Akasa offers direct flights to destinations including Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Bengaluru.

Despite IndiGo’s expansion, Air India and its group airlines have expressed reservations about shifting operations to the new airport. Their concerns include higher tariffs, increased costs associated with splitting operations between NMIAL and Mumbai’s existing airport, and inadequate road and metro connectivity. Currently, Air India does not operate flights to or from NMIAL.

Aviation analysts attribute the growth at NMIAL partly to the continuous induction of new aircraft by IndiGo. The airline has added seven new planes to its fleet so far this calendar year, primarily Airbus A320neos. Similarly, Akasa has expanded its capabilities by inducting seven Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in 2026, enhancing its operational flexibility. By contrast, Air India has not inducted any new planes this year, according to data from publicly available aviation tracking sources.

The differing fleet expansions among airlines are seen as a key factor influencing their capacity to increase operations from NMIAL. IndiGo’s consistent fleet growth has enabled it to deploy more flights and establish a strong foothold at the emerging airport, while other carriers have taken a more cautious approach amid logistical and financial concerns.