MUMBAI, May 29 -- IndiGo and Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) announced the commencement of commercial flights from Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which will open later this year. IndiGo will be the first airline to operate from the new airport. In December last year, IndiGo conducted a trial flight test at the airport. With 18 daily departures and 36 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs), the airline will cover 15 cities from day one, according to a press note issued by IndiGo. This will be increased to 79 daily departures (158 ATMs), including 14 international departures, by November 2025 and 100 daily departures (200 ATMS) by March 2026. By November 2026, it is expected to build up to 140 daily departures (280 ATMs) including 30 international departures. This partnership will fuel aviation growth in the country, making it a key driver for India to become the third-largest aviation economy by 2030, said a spokesperson. Pieter Elbers, chief executive officer of IndiGo said, "Our alliance signals towards the achievement of complete operational readiness on both sides to take next steps." NMIA is set to handle 20 million passengers and 0.5 million metric tonnes of cargo per annum, with the capacity to serve 90 million passengers and 3.2 MMT of cargo per annum, once complete. IndiGo is committed to expanding its reach by offering both domestic and international destinations from NMIA. Commenting on the partnership, Arun Bansal, CEO of AAHL said, "This partnership marks a major step towards confirming NMIA's position as a transfer hub for domestic and international travellers." The NMIA has not yet announced the inauguration date but the state plans to invite PM Narendra Modi for it. Earlier, the inauguration of NMIA was slated for June and set to start operations by August 15, but this had been delayed....