Mumbai Airport T1 Reconstruction: Foreign Airlines Propose Shifting Flights To NMIA

Foreign airlines operating from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) have proposed shifting selected international services to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) during the reconstruction of Terminal 1 (T1), sources said.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) Chief Airport Officer Vishnu Mohan Jha informed the Civil Aviation Secretary that the airlines had suggested the move to Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), which operates CSMIA.

Indian carriers IndiGo, Air India Group and Akasa Air have agreed to shift some operations.

From March 28, 2027, CSMIA will temporarily suspend slots for 14 international destinations, including Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Muscat, Kuwait City, Kathmandu and Dhaka. Affected flights may operate from NMIA instead.

The proposal aims to consolidate flights to each destination at one airport within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, while leaving approximately 91 per cent of CSMIA’s existing capacity unaffected.

MIAL needs to relocate around five million passengers annually, with Indian airlines accounting for approximately three million.

MIAL has asked airlines to identify slots they can voluntarily surrender. Otherwise, all flights to the 14 destinations will be shifted.

IndiGo plans to move 12 daily international departures to NMIA between February and July 2027.

Air India Express will introduce four daily domestic flights in December 2026, followed by selected international services.

Akasa Air will launch Mumbai-Jeddah flights from NMIA in December 2026.

Terminal 1’s demolition is scheduled to begin in April 2027, with reconstruction expected to finish by 2030. Its capacity will increase from 15 million to 20 million passengers annually.

NMIA has an initial capacity of 20 million passengers annually, with planned expansion to 90 million. Incentives, including landing charge discounts for new international routes, are being offered to attract airlines.