Yes, Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) has designated smoking zones, and the operator lists six of them in Terminal 1. After security there are smoking rooms below the CIP lounge at the post-domestic security hold area and below the CIP lounge at the post-international security hold area, plus two more at the Level 3 CIP lounge on the International east side and the Level 3 CIP lounge on the Domestic west side. On the arrivals side there is a smoking zone at international arrivals opposite the immigration counters and one in domestic arrivals on Level 0 next to the elevators. Commercial operations began on 25 December 2025 and the airport has run 24x7 since February 2026.
In the news: Navi Mumbai International Airport began commercial operations and its official smoking rooms are now confirmed.
Navi Mumbai International Airport (IATA: NMI; ICAO: VAMV) is the Adani-Group-developed greenfield airport at Ulwe, about 35 km from central Mumbai and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM). It is now Mumbai’s second commercial airport and was built to relieve BOM, which has been operating beyond design capacity for years. Phase 1 has a single terminal and a single runway, with an annual passenger capacity of 20 million.
Opening Timeline
- 8 October 2025: Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- 25 December 2025: First commercial flights — initially around 22 daily departures.
- February 2026: Full 24x7 operations confirmed once staffing and ATC procedures stabilised.
- March 2026 summer schedule: Domestic network expanded from 16 to 46 destinations.
- April 2026: ~22,000 daily passengers across roughly 160 aircraft movements; scaling toward 78 daily departures.
- 15 July 2026: International operations began — Air India Express launched a three-times-weekly Abu Dhabi service, the airport’s first scheduled international route.
- August 2026: First international freighter operations, with Hong Kong Air Cargo adding a weekly service from 10 August.
Terminal Layout — Phase 1
NMI Phase 1 is a single integrated terminal building — Terminal 1 (T1) in the operator’s own directories — handling both arrivals and departures. The terminal is large, modern, and built around clear linear concourses — the kind of layout where most gates are within a 10-12 minute walk of the central security and baggage claim hall. A second runway is already under construction, and a third runway has been planned.
Domestic departures and arrivals are operational and active. International departures began on 15 July 2026, led by Air India Express’s Abu Dhabi route.
Smoking at Navi Mumbai Airport
NMI describes itself as a smoke-free airport with select smoking rooms, and publishes the locations itself — the facility page is headed “Smoking Lounge”, while the airport facilities directory lists the same facility as “Smoking Room”. All six sit in Terminal 1, and the operator splits them into arrivals and departures, as below.
Landside and Arrivals
Outside the departures security hold area, the two indoor zones the operator lists are both on the arrivals side: international arrivals, opposite the immigration counters, and domestic arrivals on Level 0, next to the elevators. Outdoor kerbside smoking is also permitted at the departures and arrivals frontages, in line with standard Indian airport practice — look for the smoking pictogram and ash bins. The kerbside areas have generous breathing room, since NMI’s drop-off zones were designed with future capacity in mind.
If you are coming by road, the multi-level car park has standard “no smoking inside” rules; step outside the car park structure to the kerbside zone for a smoke before entering the terminal.
Airside (Post-Security)
After security the operator lists four locations in Terminal 1: a smoking room below the CIP lounge at the post-domestic security hold area, a smoking room below the CIP lounge at the post-international security hold area, and two more at the Level 3 CIP lounge on the International east side and the Level 3 CIP lounge on the Domestic west side. This matches India’s COTPA framework, under which airports handling international traffic provide enclosed smoking rooms after security.
The airport’s lounge directory lists three Terminal 1 lounges — Adani Silver, Adani Gold and Adani Purple. Only the 24-hour Adani Silver Lounge, on Level 3 in the post-security hold area, names a Smoking Zone among its facilities; Gold and Purple have yet to publish a location.
Practical tip: Once you clear the security hold area, head for the smoking room below the CIP lounge on your side, domestic or international, or look for the cigarette pictogram on the ceiling signage. The operator lists two further locations at the Level 3 CIP lounges, on the International east and Domestic west sides. Your own lighter is surrendered at the checkpoint, and Indian airport smoking rooms typically provide built-in electric lighters; here’s how the machines work, with video.
Airlines Operating from NMI
As of mid-2026:
- IndiGo (6E)
- Akasa Air (QP)
- Air India Express (IX)
- Star Air
IndiGo previously committed to scaling up to 100+ daily departures from NMI; that figure remains a roadmap rather than a current reality. International operations began on 15 July 2026 with Air India Express’s Abu Dhabi route, and further Middle East and regional routes are expected to follow given the airport’s scale and Adani Group’s carrier relationships.
NMI vs BOM — Which Mumbai Airport?
NMI and BOM are completely separate airports approximately 35 km apart, with no airside connection. If you are booking a flight to or from “Mumbai”, confirm the IATA code carefully:
- BOM — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, in Andheri, central Mumbai. Mature smoking facilities across T1 and T2 (full guide).
- NMI — Navi Mumbai International Airport, in Ulwe (Navi Mumbai). Phase 1 facilities still maturing (this page).
Note that BOM’s Terminal 1 begins partial closure for redevelopment in Q3 FY26, with traffic shifting to BOM T2 and NMI through 2028-29 — so over the next few years the practical balance of Mumbai air traffic between the two airports will shift further.
All Smoking Zones at Navi Mumbai Airport
| Location | Section | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoking room below the CIP lounge, post-domestic security hold area | Airside (T1) | Indoor | Official |
| Smoking room below the CIP lounge, post-international security hold area | Airside (T1) | Indoor | Official |
| Level 3 CIP lounge, International east side | Airside (T1) | Indoor | Official |
| Level 3 CIP lounge, Domestic west side | Airside (T1) | Indoor | Official |
| International arrivals, opposite the immigration counters | Arrivals | Indoor | Official |
| Domestic arrivals, Level 0 next to the elevators | Arrivals | Indoor | Official |
| Departures & arrivals kerbside frontage | Landside | Outdoor | Permitted |
| Multi-level car park | Outside | Outdoor | Smoking only outside the structure |
If you are connecting via other Indian airports, see our guides for Mumbai Airport (BOM), Delhi Airport (DEL), Bangalore Airport (BLR), and Hyderabad Airport (HYD). For the other major new Indian airport, see our Noida International Airport (DXN) page.
For India airport smoking rules, the PECA vape ban, lighter-machine instructions, and other rules, see our India smoking guide.