Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has made an impressive start, handling a total of 26,021 passengers in its first five days of operations. This includes 12,431 arrivals and 13,590 departures, showing strong demand right from day one.

Weekend traffic was particularly high, with 5,548 travellers on Saturday and 5,614 on Sunday, reflecting growing confidence among passengers. During this initial period, the airport managed 162 flight movements, 81 arrivals and 81 departures, while keeping on-time performance smooth for both airlines and ground services.

Currently, NMIA connects 13 major domestic destinations, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa (MOPA), Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mangalore, Nagpur, Vadodara. These connections cover key business and leisure hubs, giving travellers more options and conveand nience in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Looking ahead, the airport plans to expand its network with additional destinations and increased flight frequencies in coordination with partner airlines. With strong early passenger response and ready infrastructure, NMIA is set to become a modern, seamless travel hub in Western India

Air India has strengthened its partnership with airBaltic, the flag carrier of Latvia, by entering into a new codeshare agreement, making travel between India and the Baltic region easier and more seamless for its customers. This move builds on the interline partnership established between the two carriers in June 2025.

Under the codeshare, Air India has begun adding its ‘AI’ designator code on airBaltic-operated flights between Riga and Air India’s European gateways including Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Milan Malpensa, Vienna, Zurich, and London Gatwick. This allows passengers to travel between India and Riga with a single Air India ticket, covering connecting flights under the same booking.

Additionally, Air India’s interline agreement with airBaltic allows travellers to reach Tallinn, Estonia, and Vilnius, Lithuania via select European gateways, further expanding access to the Baltic region.

Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said, "This expanded partnership with airBaltic reflects Air India’s commitment to providing seamless global connectivity to our customers. Latvia and the wider Baltic region are growing travel markets, and this codeshare makes the journey more convenient than ever."

Air India currently operates multiple non-stop flights connecting India with Europe:

• Delhi: Amsterdam (7x weekly), Paris (14x weekly), Frankfurt (12x weekly), Copenhagen (4x weekly), Milan (6x weekly), Vienna (4x weekly), Zurich (4x weekly)

• Mumbai: Frankfurt (5x weekly)

• Amritsar & Ahmedabad: London Gatwick (3x weekly each)

Since its privatization in 2022, Air India has expanded its global alliance network to include 24 codeshare partnerships and nearly 100 interline agreements, offering passengers access to over 800 destinations worldwide.

The new codeshare flights are now available for booking through both airlines’ official channels and travel partners.

Virgin Atlantic has announced an expansion of its London Heathrow–Bengaluru services, increasing the route from seven to eleven flights per week. The enhanced frequency highlights growing demand across both passenger and cargo segments and underlines India’s importance in the airline’s global network.

Bengaluru remains a key destination for Virgin Atlantic, supported by strong business and leisure travel flows. The city’s status as India’s leading technology and innovation hub continues to drive travel demand between India and the UK, while also enabling seamless onward connections to North America via London Heathrow.

The expanded schedule builds on Virgin Atlantic’s existing daily service to Bengaluru and complements its double-daily operations to Delhi and Mumbai. The airline’s strategic partnership with IndiGo further strengthens domestic connectivity, offering passengers smooth access to 33 destinations across India, including Goa, Amritsar, and Jaipur.

Internationally, the enhanced Bengaluru service improves onward travel to major North American cities such as Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco, and New York JFK through Virgin Atlantic’s partnerships with Delta Air Lines and WestJet. This network approach enables travellers to connect efficiently across continents while benefiting from coordinated schedules and shared services.

The route is operated using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring 31 Upper Class seats, 35 Premium seats, and 192 Economy seats, along with Virgin Atlantic’s signature Upper Class social space. Since 2019, the airline has significantly scaled its India operations, increasing capacity by 250 per cent and offering over 500,000 seats annually between the UK and India.

Commenting on the expansion, Juha Jaervinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic, said,

“We’re delighted to be strengthening our Bengaluru service, reflecting strong customer demand and our continued commitment to India. As one of India’s most dynamic technology and business hubs, it’s fantastic to be able to offer more choice for travellers between Bengaluru and the UK, as well as greater connectivity to North America with our partners, Delta Air Lines and WestJet. Our amazing people look forward to welcoming even more customers on board with our signature service.”

With this expansion, Virgin Atlantic continues to deepen its footprint in the Indian market while strengthening long-haul connectivity between India, the UK, and North America.