Sarita Parmar, who works in Navi Mumbai, had to make a 1,300-km train journey whenever she traveled to the western state of Uttar Pradesh to visit her family in Mathura. On Tuesday, she was among 185 passengers who boarded Akasa Air’s inaugural flight connecting India’s two new airports – Noida International Airport (NIA) and Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).
“Taking a flight from Noida will save a lot of my time and also make me land closer to home in Navi Mumbai,” she told HT on the flight near home.
Tuesday’s flight was the first direct air link between NIA and Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which began operations in December 2025. “This route is expected to cater to business and leisure travelers from the National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR),” an airline official said.
The official said that the response to flight reservations was better than expected.
Dr. Rupali Srivastava, who teaches at Gautam Buddha University, said she was traveling to her sister’s house with her children for the summer vacation. “It took just 30 minutes to reach Noida airport, compared to at least 100 minutes before that when I traveled to Delhi airport,” she said, adding that the compact lounge requires much less walking.
Bhavika Bhanushali, a resident of Ghatkopar who frequently travels to Delhi, said she chose the flight from Jewar because the fare was at least $2500 cheaper.
The NIA, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March, opened for flights on Monday and is currently handling around 20 flight movements daily. Airport officials expect that number to rise to 35 by next month. “Night operations will begin as soon as international flights begin. Currently, all operations are limited to daytime,” an airport official said.
“Flight plans for the coming months have not yet been finalized. However, all operations will continue during the day,” an airport official said. “Night operations will begin at NIA once the airport starts handling international flights.”
The airport’s catchment area handles 10-12 million passengers and nearly 40% of the cargo movement in the National Capital Region, said Kapil Kaul, CEO and Director, CAPA India, an aviation consultancy.
“Noida and Navi Mumbai airports will emerge as new growth centers for aviation. We expect significant traffic between the two airports, which will continue to grow. The initial focus will be on domestic operations, followed by regional and international services,” he said.
According to aviation industry experts, the route has the potential to become an important corridor connecting the National Capital Region and Mumbai Metropolitan Region, both of which generate significant passenger traffic.
“Noida Airport will bring about a structural transformation in the economies of the National Capital Region and will help build infrastructure that is in line with the growth of aviation,” Kaul added.
A former airline executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, warned that connectivity remains a key challenge.
“The authorities now need to focus on improving access to the airport not only through roads but also through metro connectivity. I believe the future growth of the airport will largely depend on its ground connectivity,” the executive said, adding that passengers would not be willing to put up with inadequate connectivity for a long time.
