Foreign airlines have expressed support for the relocation of certain international flights from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to the newly constructed Navi Mumbai International Airport, as part of ongoing terminal renovations.
Mumbai, India — Foreign airlines operating at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) have recommended transferring select international services to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) as the reconstruction of Terminal 1 (T1) gets underway. This recommendation was conveyed in a letter from Vishnu Mohan Jha, chief airport officer of Mumbai International Airport Ltd, to the civil aviation secretary, as reported by various sources.
This recent development follows the agreement of Indian carriers, including IndiGo, Air India Group, and Akasa Air, to relocate their services to NMIA, which is expected to enhance operational efficiency and passenger convenience during the ongoing infrastructure upgrades.
Flight Relocation Plans
Starting March 28, 2027, coinciding with the IATA Summer Schedule, CSMIA will temporarily suspend slots for 14 international destinations. These routes include Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait City, Madinah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh, and Sharjah. Airlines affected by this suspension may operate their flights from NMIA instead, consolidating all flights for these routes within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Approximately 91 percent of CSMIA’s existing capacity will remain unaffected by this adjustment. However, Mumbai International Airport Ltd is required to relocate about 5 million passengers per annum (mppa) of traffic out of CSMIA, with the current plans of Indian carriers accounting for around 3 mppa of this traffic.
Airline Commitments and Transition Timeline
In the letter, members of the airline operators committee have been asked to propose which slots they could voluntarily move by November 3. Should they fail to do so, MIAL will take the initiative to relocate all flights to the specified 14 destinations. The letter emphasized that this transition aims to provide seamless onward connections, minimize passenger inconvenience, and create an integrated travel experience. It dismissed suggestions that the transition would be abrupt or unilateral as unfounded.
IndiGo announced on October 25 that it would progressively shift 12 daily international departures to NMIA, expanding its international network at the new airport to 12 destinations between February and July 2027. The Air India Group also confirmed that Air India Express plans to begin four daily domestic flights from NMIA in December 2026, with additional international services scheduled for early 2027, pending necessary approvals. Akasa Air echoed this sentiment, stating it would initiate flights on the Mumbai-Jeddah route from NMIA starting December 2026.
Terminal Redevelopment Details
Terminal 1, which has been operational since 1964, currently has a designed capacity of 15 mppa. However, structural audits conducted by Structwel in 2017 and IIT Bombay in 2024 raised concerns regarding the infrastructure’s integrity. MIAL’s correspondence indicated that the redevelopment process has been delayed for over nine years. Demolition of the existing terminal is scheduled to commence in April 2027 and will proceed in phases. The redesigned terminal is expected to accommodate 20 mppa, with an increase in contact stands from seven to 25 and check-in counters from 74 to 109. Additionally, baggage belts will increase from five to 11, and security lanes will grow from eight to 15, with five designated for transfer passengers.
In conjunction with these developments, construction of a north-west pier at Terminal 2 is slated to begin in January 2027, aiming for operational status by March 2029. This expansion is expected to add four domestic bus boarding gates, which will ultimately increase CSMIA’s overall capacity from 55 mppa to 65 mppa. MIAL has assured that historic slots relinquished during the transition will be fully restored once the T2 construction is completed.
Navi Mumbai International Airport’s Capacity and Facilities
NMIA is designed with an initial capacity of 20 mppa, split between 15 mppa for domestic flights and 5 mppa for international flights, with future plans to expand capacity to 90 mppa. Its international facilities include 55 check-in counters, 24 electronic gates, 26 emigration counters, and 32 immigration counters. A readiness assessment has confirmed that NMIA has the runway, airside, and airspace capacity to accommodate additional services.
Furthermore, under a modified variable tariff plan approved in September, new international routes at NMIA will incur no landing fees during the first year and only half the rack rate in the second year. Long-haul routes exceeding 5,000 km will receive additional discounts in the third year. To further incentivize airlines, NMIA is offering cash vouchers to international passengers to help mitigate the higher user development fees charged at CSMIA.
