Mumbai’s plan to shift international flights between its two airports hit a roadblock after airlines opposed a proposal to move more than a third of departures from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to the newly opened Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).
The Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL, the airport operator, maintains that the airport needs to cut capacity of five million passengers annually beginning in March 2027. Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) had proposed shifting 265 of the airport’s 770 weekly international departures to Navi Mumbai from October 25. The move was expected to affect around 46 airlines, according to reports.
Located in Santacruz, CSMIA has Terminal 1 (T1) on the Vile Parle side, near the Western Express Highway, and Terminal 2 (T2) on the Andheri East side of the airport complex. MIAL wants to free up capacity at the airport by demolishing and rebuilding parts of the ageing T1, which is due for an overhaul.
However, the proposed change triggered a dispute over airport capacity, passenger convenience, airline schedules and the consultation process. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) asked MIAL to defer the plan and work with airlines on a mutually agreed transition, reported Business Standard. The proposed transfer is linked to the redevelopment of Terminal 1 of the Santacruz airport, which currently handles only domestic flights.
Airlines, however, have questioned whether the proposed reduction in international operations is justified and whether the available capacity at T2 and NMIA has been adequately established.
