Nearly 91 per cent of international passenger traffic at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is expected to remain unaffected during the redevelopment of Terminal 1, with 39 of the 50 international airlines scheduled to continue operations from the airport under the Summer 2027 schedule.
The remaining 11 airlines, which together operate around 16 daily departures to select destinations, may shift the affected services to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from the end of March 2027, according to people aware of the matter.
The temporary redistribution is expected to affect around five million passengers annually, accounting for approximately 9 per cent of CSMIA’s total annual traffic of about 55 million. The remaining 50 million passengers are expected to continue using the Mumbai airport during the redevelopment.
Major international airlines to continue operating from T2
Several major international carriers, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Thai Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France and Turkish Airlines, will continue operating from Terminal 2.
Of the 50 international airlines currently operating at CSMIA, 39 are expected to remain at the airport under the Summer 2027 schedule. The proposed shift of select services is intended to reduce disruption while allowing redevelopment work to proceed at Terminal 1.
CSMIA has also assured airlines that their historical slot allocations will remain protected during the temporary transition.
Terminal 1 redevelopment follows structural safety concerns
Terminal 1, which was commissioned in 1964, is being redeveloped primarily to address structural and safety concerns identified during audits conducted by Structwel in 2017 and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2024, people familiar with the project said.
The assessments highlighted the need to replace the ageing facility with modern infrastructure capable of meeting current operational and safety requirements.
The redevelopment is expected to increase Terminal 1’s passenger-handling capacity from 15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) to 20 MPPA, representing an increase of around 33 per cent.
The upgraded terminal will also feature improvements to passenger processing, security screening and other airport infrastructure. The redeveloped facility is targeted to become operational by March 2029.
Select domestic flights may also shift to Navi Mumbai airport
The transition is not limited to international carriers. Domestic airlines, including IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air, have also announced plans to shift flights serving certain destinations to NMIA.
The proposed redistribution of services is intended to create sufficient operational capacity at CSMIA for the redevelopment while maintaining airport operations as far as possible.
The relocation of select flights will also provide NMIA with an opportunity to accommodate additional airline operations as it becomes part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region’s aviation network.
Two airports to share Mumbai’s growing air traffic
The redevelopment of Terminal 1 comes as Mumbai’s aviation infrastructure prepares for the addition of NMIA. The new airport is expected to take on a portion of the passenger and airline traffic currently handled by the capacity-constrained CSMIA.
By retaining most international operations at Terminal 2 and shifting select services to Navi Mumbai, the transition is expected to limit disruption to passengers and airline connectivity.
The redevelopment will add five million passengers a year to Terminal 1’s handling capacity, taking it to 20 million passengers annually. The project is part of the broader effort to expand airport infrastructure and accommodate growing air traffic across the Mumbai region.
(With inputs from PTI)
