Airlines operating from Terminal 1 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport may relocate operations to Navi Mumbai or temporarily suspend services from October 25, as Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) prepares to begin demolition and reconstruction in January 2027. The new terminal is expected to be commissioned in 2029-30.
MIAL said the redevelopment is in line with the tariff order of the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA).
Demolition was planned for mid-2025 but was deferred because airlines had no alternative operating facility. With Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) now operational, MIAL said carriers have an option within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
“In line with AERA’s tariff order, Terminal 1 at Mumbai Airport is scheduled for demolition and reconstruction during the current control period. While the demolition work was originally planned to commence in mid-2025, MIAL voluntarily deferred it due to the absence of an alternative operating facility for airlines. With NMIAL becoming operational, airlines now have an alternative option within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Stakeholders including airlines have been informed that Terminal 1 redevelopment will commence in January 2027, hence they may choose to relocate operations to NMIAL or temporarily suspend operations effective October 25th until the new Terminal 1 at MIAL is commissioned in 2029-30. This is a temporary transition, and MIAL will honour airlines’ historic slot rights once the new terminal becomes operational,” an MIAL spokesperson said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has written to the civil aviation ministry saying any transfer must be viable for airlines. It opposes forced relocation to Navi Mumbai and has asked that carriers be allowed to choose, under a collaborative framework for Mumbai’s dual-airport system.
In August, a social media message claiming that one-third of Mumbai airport traffic would shift to Navi Mumbai from October 1 had caused uncertainty among staff. MIAL had said the message was not issued by it.
CISF conducts anti-hijacking drill at Navi Mumbai International Airport
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) conducted its Annual Anti-Hijacking Mock Exercise (AHME) 2026 at the CISF Airport Security Group (ASG), Navi Mumbai, on September 22 as part of an approved contingency plan.
The force said in a post on X that the exercise involved a simulated scenario in which a hijacked aircraft landed at Navi Mumbai International Airport.
Personnel from the CISF, Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL), Navi Mumbai Police, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Security Guard (NSG), airlines, medical services, Air Traffic Control (ATC), Krystal and the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) participated in the exercise.
The exercise was aimed at testing coordinated preparedness and the response of multiple agencies during an aviation security contingency.
