Mumbai airport Terminal 1 explained: Why 14 cities move to Navi Mumbai

Mumbai airport’s operator plans to stop all flights to 14 international destinations from the summer 2027 schedule, so that these cities are served only from the new Navi Mumbai airport, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday (4 November), citing sources. Here is what the Mumbai airport Terminal 1 shift means.

Why are flights moving? Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) wants to shut the ageing Terminal 1 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and rebuild it. That will take capacity away for about four years, affecting an estimated 5 million passengers a year. The new Terminal 1 is expected to be ready by 2030, Adani Airport Holdings CEO Arun Bansal said.

Which cities are on the list? Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait, Madinah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh and Sharjah. These are the destinations IndiGo, the Air India group and Akasa Air have already decided to fly from Navi Mumbai instead of Mumbai. Their shift should take care of over 3 million of the 5 million passengers likely to be displaced.

What did MIAL tell the government? In a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, MIAL’s Chief Airport Officer Vishnu Mohan Jha said airlines had been asked to volunteer, by 3 November, slots they could move out of Mumbai. If they did not, MIAL plans to cut all Mumbai slots for these 14 destinations, so that each city is served from just one airport in the region, The Indian Express reported. Both airports are run by Adani group companies.

When does it start? The summer schedule begins at the end of March 2027, and demolition of the old terminal is to start along with it. MIAL had first wanted to cut a third of its weekly international flights from 26 October this year, but pushed the plan back after airlines objected and the civil aviation ministry stepped in. The slot allocation for summer 2027, due on 5 November, will show which airlines did not seek a move to Navi Mumbai and stand to lose their Mumbai slots.

Why are foreign airlines unhappy? They say there was not enough consultation, and worry about passengers and the cost of splitting operations between two airports about 50 km apart. Mumbai airport’s Airline Operators’ Committee has written to Sinha, calling the plan a unilateral decision taken without adequate justification, and asked that existing airlines keep their historical slots, according to The Indian Express.

What does Adani say? Foreign airlines can move some flights to Navi Mumbai or suspend them until the new Terminal 1 opens. “My landlord says vacate the house. He can tell me to vacate the house, after that what I do is my choice. Similarly, we are telling airlines, from April you have to vacate [the slots at Mumbai airport], after that where you go is your choice,” Bansal told reporters on Tuesday. Suspended slots will be returned once new capacity is ready, he said.

What does it mean for passengers? If the plan goes ahead, anyone flying to these 14 cities from the Mumbai region will have to use Navi Mumbai airport. Travellers changing between domestic and international flights, or between airlines at different airports, could face more complicated journeys, The Hindu reported.