Mukesh Ambani flies to Navi Mumbai the week Reliance opens its new airport

Mukesh Ambani flew from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to Navi Mumbai International Airport on May 14, 2026, a 1-hour-47-minute hop aboard his Boeing 737 MAX 9 BBJ, VT-AKV. The short Delhi-to-Mumbai corridor is a familiar route for the Reliance Industries chairman, but the destination—VANM—is brand new.

The same week, Navi Mumbai International Airport officially opened for commercial traffic, per reports from Indian aviation authorities. The greenfield airport, built to decongest Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, is a key infrastructure project in the state of Maharashtra, where Reliance has deep business and political ties. Ambani’s landing at VANM, rather than his usual VABB, signals a personal endorsement of the facility as it begins handling scheduled flights.

The flight follows a pattern of Ambani using his fleet for high-profile symbolic moves. In March 2024, he flew guests into Jamnagar for his son Anant’s pre-wedding festivities, a five-day operation that saw over 600 aircraft movements and required Indian Air Force coordination, per The Hindu. This week’s touchdown at Navi Mumbai is quieter but no less deliberate—a billionaire putting his new jet on the apron of a new airport on opening day.