CSMIA Terminal 1 revamp: Air India Express, IndiGo plan flight shifts to Navi Mumbai; details here

Air India Express and IndiGo are planning to progressively shift selected flight operations from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport CSMIA to Navi Mumbai International Airport NMIA as Mumbairsquos dualairport system takes shape alongside the planned redevelopment of CSMIArsquos Terminal 1The phased transition will see Air India Express begin operating four daily domestic flights from NMIA in December 2026 followed by selected international services from January 2027 IndiGo meanwhile plans to commence international operations from NMIA in February 2027 and progressively transfer 12 daily international departures from CSMIA over the following monthsThe moves are part of a broader plan to facilitate the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at CSMIA while distributing capacity across Mumbairsquos two airports and supporting future airline expansionThe airport operator said the initial phase aims to shift around five million passengers to NMIA Approximately 3 million passengers account for around 70 per cent of the traffic targeted for relocation in the first phase The temporary transition represents about 9 per cent of CSMIArsquos annual passenger traffic of 55 million while around 91 per cent of the traffic will continue to operate from CSMIAIndiGo to shift 12 daily international departuresIndiGo plans to progressively transfer all its current international operations from CSMIA to 11 destinations mdash Bahrain Riyadh Dammam Jeddah Madinah Kuwait Ras Al Khaimah Fujairah Muscat Dhaka and Jakarta mdash representing 12 daily international departuresThe airline also plans to introduce an additional daily service to Kathmandu Its international network from NMIA is expected to cover 12 destinations between February and July 2027Alongside the international transition IndiGo will move the domestic connectivity required to support these services from CSMIA to NMIA Adani Airport Holdings Ltd AAHL the airport operator is working on the infrastructure needed to facilitate smooth transfers between the airlinersquos domestic and international flightsThe transition is expected to serve two objectives for IndiGo at CSMIA It will create room for the airlinersquos planned international expansion in 2027 across Asia Africa and Europe using its expanding fleet of A320 A321 and A321XLR aircraft without placing further pressure on the capacityconstrained airportThe associated domestic transition will also support IndiGorsquos share of the capacity reductions required for the redevelopment of CSMIArsquos Terminal 1 by 2030 According to the announcement any further adjustments required to IndiGorsquos services at Terminal 1 will be accommodated at Terminal 2IndiGo said the final dates for the transition and the introduction of new services at CSMIA would be announced after project coordination and the necessary operating approvalsAir India Express to begin NMIA operations in DecemberAir India Express plans to operate four daily domestic flights from NMIA from December 2026 It will then introduce planned services to Kuwait subject to the requisite approvals and operate its existing services to Oman from January 2027The airline will progressively transition services to Jeddah Riyadh Dammam Doha Muscat and Sharjah to NMIA with the process expected to be completed by the IATA Northern Summer 2027 seasonAir India Group said the move follows collaboration with the airport operator and forms part of a wider transition plan covering domestic and international operations The plan is intended to support the longawaited redevelopment of CSMIArsquos Terminal 1 while allowing the group to continue serving the Mumbai market efficientlyThe group also said the transition would preserve its existing historic slot rights at CSMIA with the airport operator saying these rights would be honoured once the redeveloped terminal becomes operational Operating from both CSMIA and NMIA is expected to strengthen connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMR and offer passengers greater choice and convenienceCapacity rebalancing across Mumbairsquos two airportsThe phased transitions are intended to support a transparent equitable and proportionate rebalancing of capacity across Mumbairsquos dualairport system taking each airlinersquos existing presence at CSMIA into accountThe approach is aimed at enabling an orderly transition minimising operational disruption and giving airlines and passengers greater planning certainty as NMIArsquos operations expand and CSMIArsquos Terminal 1 redevelopment progressesThe redevelopment is expected to increase Terminal 1rsquos annual passengerhandling capacity by approximately 33 per cent from 15 million to 20 million passengers The modernised terminal is also expected to feature upgraded passenger facilities and digital systems alongside safety enhancementsConnectivity to NMIA is also expected to improve with three bridges mdash SBR9 BR4 and BR5 mdash built by CIDCO across Panvel Creek and the Gadhi River According to the airport operator the bridges will strengthen links between NMIA Atal Setu Ulwe Coastal Road Amra Marg and NH4BAAHL said NMIA has been developed with advanced technology multimodal connectivity and scalable infrastructure to support growing passenger and airline requirementsThe timelines announced by the airlines are planned transition schedules not confirmation that all services have already moved IndiGorsquos final transition dates remain subject to project coordination and operating approvals while Air India Expressrsquos planned Kuwait services are subject to the requisite approvals