The Mumbai Airport Terminal 1 redevelopment will leave nearly 91 per cent of international passenger traffic unaffected.
As many as 39 of the 50 international airlines operating at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will continue services. The arrangement will follow the Summer 2027 schedule.
The remaining 11 airlines operate around 16 daily departures to select destinations. These services may shift to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from late March 2027, according to people aware of the matter.
Major carriers, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and British Airways, will remain at Terminal 2. Lufthansa, Air France, Turkish Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Thai Airways will also continue operations.
Terminal 1 redevelopment to address structural concerns
The redevelopment will replace the existing Terminal 1, which began operations in 1964. The decision follows structural and safety concerns identified through earlier audits.
These include a 2017 assessment by Structwel and a 2024 assessment by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Their findings highlighted the need to replace the ageing facility with modern infrastructure.
The temporary flight redistribution will affect approximately five million passengers annually. This represents around 9 per cent of CSMIA’s total annual traffic of nearly 55 million passengers.
Consequently, the remaining 50 million passengers will continue using the Mumbai airport during the transition.
New Terminal 1 capacity to increase by 33%
The redeveloped Terminal 1 will increase passenger-handling capacity from 15 million passengers annually to 20 million.
This represents an increase of approximately 33 per cent. Furthermore, the project will upgrade passenger processing, security screening and other airport infrastructure.
The redeveloped terminal is targeted to become operational by March 2029. The additional capacity will support Mumbai’s growing aviation demand.
Airlines prepare for operations at Navi Mumbai airport
The transition will also involve domestic airlines. IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air have announced plans to shift flights serving selected destinations to NMIA.
The redistribution aims to create operational capacity for redevelopment work at CSMIA. However, the airport intends to minimise disruption to passengers and existing operations.
CSMIA has assured airlines that their historical slot allocations will remain protected during the temporary transition.
Meanwhile, NMIA is expected to absorb part of the traffic currently handled by the capacity-constrained Mumbai airport. The shift will also integrate the new airport into the metropolitan aviation network.
The plan allows CSMIA to undertake major infrastructure upgrades without relocating most international operations. Additionally, retaining 39 international airlines at Terminal 2 should help preserve passenger connectivity during the redevelopment.
