Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI), India’s most-anticipated new airport in over a decade, began commercial operations on December 25, 2025, easing pressure on Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) which has been operating well above design capacity for years.
The opening marks the beginning of a multi-year ramp-up in which NMI will progressively absorb more domestic and eventually international flights. For travelers — and especially smokers — it raises an immediate question: where can you smoke at India’s newest airport?
What We Know About Smoking Facilities at NMI
India’s national tobacco law, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003, permits airports to provide enclosed, ventilated indoor smoking rooms. Almost every major Indian airport — Delhi T3, Mumbai T2, Bangalore Kempegowda, Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi, Chennai — takes this exception fully. NMI is expected to follow the same pattern, but as of the December 2025 commercial launch, signage and exact room locations were still being finalized.
Travelers reporting from the first weeks of operations have noted:
- Indoor smoking rooms are present but their exact locations are not yet on official airport maps.
- Outdoor curbside zones at the arrivals and departures levels, similar to Mumbai BOM’s landside layout.
- Signage is still being added in some terminal areas — staff are the most reliable source for directions.
What to Ask Airport Staff
If you can’t find a smoking room, ask airline ground staff or the airport information desk. Ground staff and info desks routinely direct passengers to the nearest smoking facility — this is the same advice that applies at every Indian airport.
How NMI Compares to Mumbai BOM
Mumbai’s existing airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (BOM), maintains:
- Terminal 1 (T1): Smoking rooms near Gates 26-27 (domestic).
- Terminal 2 (T2) Domestic: Rooms near Gates 48-49.
- Terminal 2 (T2) International: A large room on Level 4 near Gate 68 — one of the biggest at any Indian airport.
NMI is expected to operate at lower passenger density initially while it ramps up, which may make smoke breaks easier in practice during the first six to twelve months — fewer crowds, shorter walks, less wait time at any given facility.
The Vape Warning Still Applies
India’s 2019 Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA) bans possession, sale, manufacture, and import of e-cigarettes nationwide. Penalties for first-time violation include imprisonment up to one year and fines up to ₹1 lakh. Repeat violations carry up to three years’ imprisonment and fines up to ₹5 lakh.
This applies at NMI just as at every other Indian airport. Travelers transiting through India — even just on a connection — should not bring vapes or heat-not-burn devices like IQOS into the country. Customs at NMI, like all Indian international entry points, can confiscate them at minimum.
Updates Coming
We’re verifying NMI’s smoking facilities directly through traveler photos and reports. The NMI airport page will be updated as confirmed locations are reported. If you’ve recently flown through NMI and noted the indoor smoking room locations, please share via the Contribute form on the airport page itself.
For broader context on Indian airport smoking policy, see the India country guide — covering 65+ Indian airports with terminal-by-terminal smoking room locations.