Mangaluru: IndiGo is set to begin flights from Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) to the newly inaugurated Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting December 25. Opened for operations in October 2025, the state-of-the-art NMIA has quickly emerged as a major addition to India’s aviation network. Mangaluru will now be among the select airports in the country to establish early connectivity with the new hub.
At present, Mangaluru has four direct flights to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai. However, aviation analysts note that this capacity is inadequate given the high demand, and airfares have remained steep as a result.
According to DGCA data, Mangaluru–Mumbai traffic continues to surge.
• In September, 44,726 passengers flew between the two cities — about 1,500 passengers per day.
• In October 2025, the number rose to 50,063 passengers, averaging 1,700 passengers per day.
IndiGo officials said that the MIA–NMIA service was originally proposed for the winter schedule but had to be cancelled due to midnight slot allocations.
“We have reworked the plan and secured daytime slots. Given the heavy demand on this sector and the limited chances of slot expansion at the existing Mumbai airport, there is a strong possibility of adding more flights in the coming days,” an IndiGo official said.
Regular flyer Dr Ramesh Bhat M, Professor of Dermatology at Father Muller Medical College, welcomed the move.
“The current flights to Mumbai are restricted to just four, and fares are extremely high. I recently booked a flight for early December, and the return ticket cost ₹27,000,” he said.


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