Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) has expanded its international cargo operations with the launch of its first dedicated freighter service, operated by IndiGo CarGo (6E). The inaugural flight to Sharjah Airport (SHJ) marks the airport’s move into full-scale international freighter operations, after initially handling cargo through passenger aircraft belly space.
The freighter launch comes just weeks after Navi Mumbai processed its first international cargo shipment on an Air India Express service to Abu Dhabi, and it lands just as dedicated freighter operations prepare to shift away from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) during major infrastructure upgrades. Navi Mumbai is emerging as an important cargo hub for western India, according to STAT Times.
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IndiGo CarGo Begins Freighter Operations
IndiGo CarGo’s first international freighter departed Navi Mumbai on August 1 at 10:00 p.m. IST, operated by an Airbus A321-211 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) aircraft, registered VT-IKX. The aircraft had arrived earlier that day from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR), before continuing on the routing BLR–NMI–SHJ–Delhi (DEL).
The inaugural IndiGo CarGo aircraft VT-IKX is an 18.7-year-old converted freighter built in Hamburg, Germany. Originally manufactured as a passenger A321-200 in 2007 (MSN 3334), the aircraft was converted into a dedicated freighter in December 2022 before joining IndiGo’s cargo fleet. Prior to its conversion, VT-IKX flew with Aeroflot, Avion Express, Thomas Cook Airlines, and Avion Express Malta. According to data from planespotters.net, it entered service with IndiGo CarGo on January 13, 2023, and is powered by two CFM International engines.
According to Mark Sutch, Head of International Development and Chief Commercial Officer Cargo at IndiGo, the Navi Mumbai–Sharjah route will operate as a regular non-scheduled freighter service. The inaugural flight carried general cargo along with perishable goods, showing the airport’s ability to handle specialized freight.
Notably, IndiGo (6E) is leaning on a converted narrowbody for this freighter debut at a moment when its widebody ambitions elsewhere are on hold. The airline recently confirmed it will suspend all widebody flying by 25 October after ending its Boeing 787 damp-lease arrangement with Norse Atlantic, shifting even its Mumbai–Amsterdam passenger route onto an Airbus A321XLR until its own A350-900s arrive in 2027. The new P2F freighter service follows a similar logic on the cargo side: a narrowbody aircraft filling a gap while IndiGo builds out dedicated capacity. The freighter launch also arrives on the back of a dominant domestic run for the carrier, which posted a record 66.3 percent share of India’s domestic passenger market in June, giving it a strong commercial base from which to expand into cargo.
Airport Started International Cargo with Belly Freight
Navi Mumbai handled its first international cargo shipment on July 15, when Air India Express transported 1,789 kilograms of fruits and vegetables to Abu Dhabi on flight IX207. That flight was also the airport’s very first scheduled international service of any kind, arriving on a Boeing 737 MAX as Air India Express opened its Abu Dhabi route roughly seven months after the airport began domestic operations in December 2025.
The Abu Dhabi service operates twice weekly, every Wednesday and Friday, departing Navi Mumbai at 2:55 a.m. and returning as flight IX208 at 10:20 a.m. The inaugural cargo operation used a Boeing 737 MAX 8, while later services have also used the Airbus A320neo. Export cargo moved on the outbound flight, though the first inbound service did not carry freight. Air India Express had earlier flagged this cargo debut when it confirmed Navi Mumbai as its first international destination from the airport, with the airline’s chief executive noting at the time that freighter operations would ramp toward almost 18 weekly flights alongside the passenger launch. That July operation marked the airport’s first international cargo movement and paved the way for the dedicated freighter service that followed.
Mumbai Airport Upgrade Drives Cargo Shift
IndiGo CarGo’s freighter launch coincides with planned infrastructure works at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) will suspend dedicated freighter operations at Mumbai Airport from August 2026 until May 2027 to carry out runway and taxiway upgrades and rebuild the dedicated freighter apron.
The temporary suspension is expected to shift several international cargo airlines to Navi Mumbai, giving the newer airport an opening to strengthen its position as an alternative cargo gateway for the Mumbai metropolitan region. Cathay Cargo has already confirmed that its three-times-weekly summer freighter services will temporarily operate from Navi Mumbai during the construction period.
More Cargo Airlines Prepare to Launch Services
Navi Mumbai is also set to welcome Hong Kong Air Cargo (RH), which will begin weekly charter operations between Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Navi Mumbai from August 10, 2026. The Monday service will depart Hong Kong at 9:00 a.m., arrive in Navi Mumbai at 1:20 p.m. local time, and return at 2:50 p.m., reaching Hong Kong at 11:20 p.m.
Hong Kong Air Cargo currently operates six Airbus A330 freighters across Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and Navi Mumbai will become its third destination in India after Chennai and Delhi.
Other cargo operators are weighing temporary relocations too. Air France, which currently operates two weekly cargo flights between Paris and Mumbai, may move services to Navi Mumbai subject to regulatory approvals, while Lufthansa Cargo is in discussions with airport authorities about its operations during the Mumbai upgrade.
Dedicated Cargo Infrastructure
Navi Mumbai has built dedicated cargo infrastructure to support both domestic and international freight operations, including specialised storage and handling for pharmaceuticals, perishables, valuable cargo and other time-sensitive shipments. That lets the airport serve industries that require strict logistics standards.
The airport’s long-term cargo plans also include FedEx’s proposed 300,000-square-foot automated air cargo hub, which is expected to further strengthen Navi Mumbai’s role in India’s air freight sector.
Part of a Wider National Push
Navi Mumbai’s rapid climb from belly-hold cargo in July to dedicated freighter service in August also fits into a much larger pattern taking shape across Indian aviation. The federal government is pursuing a 44-airport hub-and-spoke network built around four major hubs and 40 spoke airports, aimed at routing more of India’s long-haul passenger and cargo traffic through domestic gateways rather than through Dubai, Doha or Singapore. Greenfield airports such as Navi Mumbai and Noida are central to that build-out, alongside a planned offshore airport at Palghar designed to eventually handle roughly three million metric tonnes of cargo a year.
With IndiGo CarGo now operating regular international freighter services and more global cargo airlines preparing to launch operations, Navi Mumbai International Airport is steadily expanding its position in the country’s international cargo network.