One or two international airlines could suspend services to Mumbai for a couple of years rather than transfer some operations to Navi Mumbai, Adani Airport Holdings chief executive Arun Bansal has indicated. No carriers have been identified and no suspensions confirmed. The possibility comes as Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) prepares to rebuild Terminal 1, a project due to start in April 2027 and finish by December 2030, requiring traffic to shift to the new Navi Mumbai airport.
MIAL is seeking to move passenger volumes equivalent to about five million annual travellers from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to Navi Mumbai during the work. At a meeting on 28 October, the operator asked airlines to submit transition and slot-relocation plans by 3 November. Airlines are pushing for a phased redevelopment and assurances that their historical slots will be protected. IndiGo and Air India Express have agreed to transfer selected flights, while several foreign carriers are reluctant to commit before October 2027.
The dispute also concerns available capacity at Navi Mumbai and the timing of other infrastructure. Airlines have raised concerns over delays to the north-west pier expansion at Mumbai’s Terminal 2 and have sought access to a structural study referenced in regulatory documents. MIAL says the Terminal 1 project is needed to address safety issues at the ageing facility. The works also include a three-kilometre airside tunnel and additional aircraft parking stands. Any temporary service cuts remain a possibility, not a confirmed airline decision.