Navi Mumbai Airport may handle flights for 12 international airlines during the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport, as the existing airport has allotted slots to 38 of the 50 airlines that sought operations for the upcoming summer schedule, according to a report by The Economic Times.
The remaining 12 airlines have been informed that they may operate from Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) while work is carried out at Terminal 1. The IATA summer schedule begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Saturday of October.
People aware of the development told The Economic Times that most of the airlines in question serve destinations included in a list of 14 international locations whose operations have been asked to shift to NMIA. The destinations are Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait City, Madinah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh and Sharjah.
The proposed shift would add a second airport into the operating pattern for international passengers in the Mumbai metropolitan region. For travellers, the change could affect airport choice, journey planning and access to flights during the period in which Terminal 1 is being rebuilt. The report does not specify the final operating arrangements or the individual airlines that will move their services.
Mumbai airport has said that the transition of five million passengers will leave around 91% of its existing passenger traffic unaffected. The airport operator has also stated that historical slots temporarily shifted to Navi Mumbai will be restored after the expansion of Terminal 1 is completed.
The redevelopment is planned to raise Terminal 1’s annual passenger capacity from 15 million to 20 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in January, with completion targeted for March 2029. The project therefore creates a multi-year period during which airline scheduling and passenger movement will have to be coordinated across the two airports.
The arrangement reflects the operational challenge of expanding airport capacity in a dense metropolitan region without disrupting the majority of existing services. Mumbai airport will continue to handle most of its current passenger traffic, while NMIA is expected to absorb selected international operations connected to the redevelopment plan.
The immediate operational details, including the final list of airlines and the effective dates for any shifts, remain to be communicated. The next major milestones are the start of Terminal 1 construction in January and the implementation of the summer schedule from the last Sunday of March.
