Mumbai Airport News: MIAL Plans to Shift Flights for 14 International Destinations to Navi Mumbai Airport Starting Next Summer
Mumbai Airport News
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is preparing for a major operational shift. The airport operator, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), has proposed moving all international flights connecting 14 specific foreign destinations to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting next summer.
The 14 international destinations included in this proposal are Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait City, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh, Sharjah, and Madinah. According to MIAL’s letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, this rule will apply across all airlines—both Indian and foreign carriers.
The main reason behind this massive rerouting is the planned demolition of Terminal 1 (T1) at Mumbai airport. To clear space and reconstruct infrastructure, domestic flights currently operating out of T1 need to be temporarily moved to Terminal 2 (T2).
However, Terminal 2 is already operating near full capacity. To make room for the displaced domestic flights, MIAL needs to reduce international operations at T2 by about one-third. Moving flights bound for these 14 high-volume destinations to Navi Mumbai will free up the required space at T2 without severely disrupting domestic connectivity.
Major Indian carriers have already begun planning their transition. Both the Air India Group and IndiGo announced phased moves between December and July, transferring a combined total of 38 daily international flights from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai.
MIAL had set a deadline of November 3 for airlines to voluntarily specify which slots they would vacate for the upcoming summer season (starting late March). If foreign airlines do not voluntarily relocate their flights or cancel excess slots, MIAL plans to enforce the shift by moving all flights associated with the 14 targeted destinations to NMIA.
The Civil Aviation Ministry is currently reviewing the proposal and will take a final decision after considering feedback from foreign airlines, passengers, and operational requirements.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
