Mumbai airport shifts 12 international airlines to Navi Mumbai airport
What's the story
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai has allotted slots to 38 out of 50 airlines that had asked for slots for the summer schedule. The summer schedule begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Saturday of October. The remaining 12 airlines have been told to operate their flights from the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from late March 2027 as the Mumbai airport undergoes redevelopment of Terminal 1.
Airline shift
12 international airlines to be moved
The 12 international airlines operate around 16 daily departures to 14 destinations.
The airport has maintained that the transition would leave about 91% of Mumbai airport's existing traffic capacity unaffected while facilitating the movement of around five million passengers annually to the new airport.
It says the renovation of Terminal 1 will increase its capacity from 15 million to 20 million passengers per annum.
Redevelopment timeline
Terminal redevelopment expected to become operational by March 2029
Domestic airlines such as IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air had already announced plans to shift flights serving 14 destinations to NMIA.
Construction for the terminal's redevelopment is expected to start in January 2027 and be targeted to become operational by March 2029.
The four-level extension will add four more domestic bus boarding gates and expand passenger-processing areas, security screening infrastructure, and crew facilities.
Structural issues
Terminal 1's designed capacity is 15 million passengers annually
This redevelopment aims to address structural concerns with the aging terminal while enhancing its infrastructure and passenger-handling capabilities.
Terminal 1, commissioned in 1964, has a designed capacity of 15 million passengers annually. However, structural audits by Structwel in 2017 and IIT Bombay in 2024 flagged concerns about the terminal's existing infrastructure.
Demolition work is scheduled to begin in April 2027, followed by phased redevelopment.