Mumbai Airport asks airlines to submit plans to shift international flights to Navi Mumbai by November 3 | Today’s news
Mumbai airport operator MIAL has asked airlines to submit their plans to shift some international flights to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) by November 3 as carriers seek more time to decide on the relocation, a PTI report said.
Representatives of more than 35 airlines and officials of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) discussed the proposed transition at a meeting on Wednesday. The negotiations focused on the transfer of part of Mumbai Airport’s international operations to NMIA and the redevelopment of Terminal 1 (T1).
MIAL initially planned to start the partial shift from October 25, but later pushed back the date to a summer schedule starting in March 2027 after airlines raised concerns about the transition. Several carriers are now looking for time until the next winter schedule, which begins in October 2027, to decide on the relocation of their international flights, sources told PTI.
Why does Mumbai airport want to shift international flights?
MIAL plans to redevelop Terminal 1, with work starting next year and completion estimated by 2030. The operator wants airlines to move some international flights from Terminal 2 (T2) to NMIA to use the freed-up capacity at T2 for domestic traffic during the redevelopment.
Mumbai Airport currently has two terminals, with T1 handling domestic flights and T2 serving international operations.
In a meeting on Wednesday, MIAL shared a detailed redevelopment plan for T1, according to sources quoted by PTI. The airlines insisted that the rebuild should be done in phases and opposed any unilateral decision to limit their slots from the summer schedule starting in March 2027.
MIAL has also assured airlines that the temporarily shifted international traffic, estimated at 5 million passengers per annum (mppa), will be fully restored to the Mumbai airport after the completion of the T2 expansion.
Air India, IndiGo and Akasa will shift international flights to NMIA
Despite concerns over a broader transition plan, some airlines have announced plans to move international services to Navi Mumbai in phases.
Air India, Air India Express and IndiGo on Sunday said they will gradually shift international flights to NMIA from December. Akasa Air also announced the phased shift of its Mumbai-Jeddah services to the new airport from December.
The airlines work with Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), which operates both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports.
What is the capacity of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports?
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) currently handles approximately 55 million passengers per year. Its total capacity is expected to rise to 65 mppa after rebuilding T1 and T2.
Meanwhile, NMIA is designed to handle 20 million passengers annually in its initial phase, with further expansion planned to increase capacity to 90 million passengers.
The transition is to support the redevelopment of the Mumbai airport while developing both airports as an integrated aviation hub. However, the timing and extent of the move remain points of discussion between MIAL and the airlines, according to a PTI report.
