Overview
- Air India Express began scheduled international services to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, operating flight IX‑208/IX‑207 with an initial twice‑weekly schedule that will rise to three weekly flights later in July.
- The inaugural service carried NMIA’s first international perishable export, signalling the start of temperature-controlled cargo flows using the airport’s cold‑chain facilities.
- Since opening for domestic operations on December 25, 2025, NMIA has connected 46 domestic destinations, handled about 2.3 million passengers and averaged roughly 150 air traffic movements per day.
- NMIA is a joint venture majority‑owned by Adani Airports Holding Ltd with CIDCO as the minority partner, and the airport’s international start means every airport in AAHL’s portfolio now has overseas connectivity.
- Air India Express is the only carrier with scheduled international departures so far as other airlines weigh the costs of split operations, and NMIA is positioned to relieve congestion at Mumbai’s main airport while expanding trade links for western India.