In a major development for the Mumbai aviation sector, domestic carriers IndiGo and the Air India Group have agreed to relocate nearly one-third of their international flights from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting between January and the summer of 2027.
The decision breaks a unified front among airlines opposing the move and aligns with requests from operator Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), which requires temporary capacity reductions to facilitate the planned demolition and redevelopment of Terminal 1.
IndiGo and Air India Operations Transition Details
Both major domestic carriers have agreed to transfer key international routes to NMIA while transferring connecting domestic flights to support passenger flows:
- IndiGo: The airline will begin transferring 12 daily international departures (84 weekly flights)—representing 36.1% of its current 233 weekly international departures from Mumbai—between February and July 2027. Services will shift across 11 existing destinations, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah, Kuwait, Muscat, Bahrain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Dhaka, and Jakarta, alongside a newly added daily service to Kathmandu.
- Air India Group: Comprising Air India and Air India Express, the group will relocate services to six international destinations—Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat, and Sharjah—accounting for 46 weekly departures, or 34.3% of its total international departures from CSMIA. Air India Express will kick off NMIA operations with four daily domestic flights in December 2026, followed by international route shifts starting in January 2027.
Foreign Carriers Push Back as T1 Redevelopment Begins
While Indian carriers have accepted the phased relocation strategy, major foreign airlines continue to voice resistance through the Airline Operators Committee (AOC). Operators including Air France-KLM and Emirates have flagged concerns regarding split-airport long-haul operations, operational hub inefficiencies, and the need for more supporting facilities at NMIA prior to large-scale international handling.
MIAL and Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), both operated by the Adani Group, need to offset an annual capacity reduction of roughly 5 million passengers resulting from the reconstruction of Terminal 1 at CSMIA. Under MIAL’s terms, historical slots held by airlines at CSMIA will be preserved and restored once the newly redeveloped Terminal 1 opens, which is projected for completion around 2030.
