Sarita Parmar, a resident of Navi Mumbai, was among the 185 passengers who boarded Akasa Air's inaugural flight connecting India's two greenfield airports—Noida International Airport (NIA) and Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).
The flight, which started operations on Tuesday, is expected to cater to business and leisure travellers from the National Capital Region (NCR) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
According to airline officials, the response to the flight bookings was better than anticipated.
Dr. Rupali Srivastava, who teaches at the Gautam Buddha University, said she opted for the flight from Jewar because it was at least ₹2,500 cheaper than other options.
Kapil Kaul, chief executive officer and director of aviation advisory firm CAPA India, said the airport's catchment area accounts for 10-12 million passengers and nearly 40% of the cargo traffic in the NCR region.
Aviation industry experts believe the route has the potential to become an important corridor connecting the NCR and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, both of which generate substantial passenger traffic.
