Flying out of Mumbai is about to get a little more complicated, and a lot more spread out. IndiGo and the Air India Group have announced a phased shift of several flights from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) starting December 2026, to make room for the redevelopment of CSMIA's ageing Terminal 1.
The plan, worked out over about 18 months of talks between airlines and Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, which runs both airports, will mainly move Gulf and some domestic services across the harbour by the summer of 2027.
What Air India Group Is Moving
In a statement on October 25, Air India Group said its low-cost arm Air India Express will lead the shift in stages:
- December 2026: Air India Express starts four daily domestic flights from NMIA.
- January 2027: Planned Air India Express flights to Kuwait begin from NMIA, subject to approvals, and existing Oman services move there.
- By IATA Northern Summer 2027: services to Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah are progressively transferred.
The group said operating from both airports would give travellers across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region more choice, while protecting the history of its existing slots at CSMIA.
IndiGo's Plan
IndiGo, the country's largest airline, will move 12 daily international departures from CSMIA to NMIA, covering Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta. A new daily Kathmandu service will be added, giving IndiGo a 12-destination international network from Navi Mumbai between February and July 2027. Supporting domestic flights will also shift so that transfer passengers can connect easily.
The airline said this marks the next step in building NMIA as a long-term international hub. The capacity it frees at CSMIA will be used for new international routes to Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027 with its A320, A321 and A321XLR fleet. Final dates will be announced later, subject to approvals.
| Key fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Airports | CSMIA (Mumbai) to NMIA (Navi Mumbai) |
| Start | December 2026 |
| Air India Express first phase | 4 daily domestic flights |
| IndiGo international shift | 12 daily departures, plus new Kathmandu flight |
| Passengers to move (first phase) | About 5 million a year targeted |
| CSMIA traffic | About 55 million passengers a year; 91% stays |
| T1 capacity after rebuild | From 15 million to 20 million a year |
| T1 redevelopment target | 2030 |
Why Terminal 1 Is Being Rebuilt
CSMIA handles around 55 million passengers a year, and Terminal 1 has struggled to keep pace. The redevelopment, planned for completion by 2030, will add safety upgrades, modern passenger facilities and better digital processing. When it is done, Terminal 1's capacity will rise by about a third, from 15 million to 20 million passengers a year. Any further adjustments at Terminal 1 during the work will be handled at Terminal 2.
The first phase aims to move around 5 million passengers a year to Navi Mumbai. About 91 per cent of CSMIA's traffic will continue at the existing airport during the rebuild, and airlines will get their historical slots back once the work is complete.
What It Means for Travellers
For flyers heading to the Gulf, especially from Navi Mumbai, Thane, Panvel and Pune, the new airport could actually be closer and less crowded. NMIA is designed for 20 million passengers a year to begin with and is planned to grow to 90 million, with automated baggage handling, digital passenger processing and road links, with more transport connections on the way.
The catch is confusion. Because the shift is phased, the same airline may fly from two different Mumbai airports for months. Always check the departure airport on your ticket and boarding pass, particularly for Gulf flights, and plan extra travel time if you are heading to Navi Mumbai for the first time.
What Happens Next
Airlines will publish exact flight numbers and schedules once approvals come through. Other carriers may announce their own plans as the dual-airport model takes shape, and the pace of Terminal 1 work will decide how long the split lasts.
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