IndiGo and Air India Group have announced significant flight transfers from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). According to reports from Moneycontrol, Business Standard, ZeeBiz, NDTV Profit, and LiveMint, IndiGo will move 12 daily international departures to Navi Mumbai starting December 2026, while Air India Express will begin shifting domestic and West Asia services from December 2026. The announcements were made jointly by the airlines and Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) on October 25, with the transition now in the final stages of operational planning. The move represents a significant step in developing Navi Mumbai as a second aviation hub for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, while easing pressure on the capacity-constrained CSMIA and accommodating its planned terminal redevelopment. The dispute began on August 20, when Adani Airports proposed moving around one-third of international flights operating from Mumbai airport's Terminal 2 to Navi Mumbai International Airport from October 1. AAHL asked airlines to submit their respective transition plans, triggering concerns that the shift was being pushed through without prior consultation with carriers.
IndiGo plans to begin international operations from NMIA in February 2027, progressively transferring 12 daily international departures from Mumbai airport and adding a service to Kathmandu. As reported by Moneycontrol, Business Standard, ZeeBiz, NDTV Profit, and LiveMint, the transition will cover IndiGo's existing services from Mumbai to Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta. With the addition of Kathmandu, the airline plans to serve 12 international destinations from NMIA between February and July 2027. The airline will also shift the domestic connectivity required to support these international services, enabling passengers to connect between domestic and international flights at Navi Mumbai. IndiGo and AAHL are working together to bring the infrastructure needed to allow domestic-to-international transfers at Navi Mumbai. IndiGo sees NMIA as an international hub for the future, with the companies coordinating infrastructure and operating arrangements to facilitate transfers between the services. Flights will only be moved once coordination has been completed and operational approval has been given. The companies are coordinating infrastructure and operating arrangements to facilitate transfers between the services, with final dates for shifting flights and introducing new services at CSMIA to be announced after project coordination is completed.
The Air India Group will progressively move Air India Express services to Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah to NMIA. According to Moneycontrol, Business Standard, ZeeBiz, NDTV Profit, and LiveMint, the transition is expected to be completed by the IATA Northern Summer 2027 season. Air India Express plans to start with four daily domestic flights from Navi Mumbai in December 2026, followed by existing services to Oman and planned services to Kuwait from January 2027. The Kuwait transition remains subject to regulatory approvals. The Air India Group aim to complete their flight transfers by IATA Northern Summer 2027. Air India Group said the transition followed discussions with the airport operator and formed part of the wider plan for Indian and international airlines to redistribute operations between the two airports. It is also intended to help the group continue serving Mumbai while preserving the historicity of its existing operating slots at CSMIA.
The planned shifts come as AAHL works to establish NMIA as a second aviation hub for the Mumbai region, easing pressure on the capacity-constrained CSMIA while accommodating the redevelopment of T1. According to NDTV Profit, LiveMint, and LiveMint, the CSMIA Terminal 1 redevelopment project aims to upgrade safety standards, modernise passenger facilities and increase annual passenger-handling capacity by 33%, from 15 million to 20 million passengers. Around 3.6 million passengers are expected to shift to Navi Mumbai in the initial phase, accounting for approximately 70% of the traffic targeted for relocation. The broader first phase aims to move around 5 million passengers, while only 9% of CSMIA's annual traffic of 55 million passengers will be temporarily relocated, while 91% will continue operating from the existing airport. Navi Mumbai International Airport is designed to handle 20 million passengers annually through its Terminal 1, with future expansion plans targeting 90 million passengers. The transition will also create room for airlines to operate while CSMIA undergoes redevelopment, with the airport operator stating that airlines' historical slots will be restored after the work is completed, supporting Mumbai's long-term aviation capacity and international connectivity. The redevelopment is expected to require capacity adjustments by 2030, making the phased approach essential for maintaining operational continuity.
The transition will be important to the redevelopment of Mumbai airport's T1, which is expected to require capacity reductions as work progresses. According to Business Standard, Moneycontrol, ZeeBiz, NDTV Profit, and LiveMint, the expansion of international operations at NMIA is intended to strengthen connectivity from Navi Mumbai as the new airport scales up its operations. The expansion is expected to broaden international travel options from Navi Mumbai while allowing CSMIA to accommodate new routes and undertake infrastructure upgrades. IndiGo operates a fleet of more than 430 aircraft and runs nearly 2,200 daily flights, connecting over 95 domestic and 40 international destinations. AAHL, part of Adani Enterprises Ltd, operates eight airports, including Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, with the new airport central to the group's plans to expand aviation infrastructure and develop airport-led commercial and hospitality destinations. For passengers, the transition will require attention to airport locations when booking or connecting flights, particularly as services move in phases. The expansion of Navi Mumbai's international network marks another stage in the development of a dual-airport system intended to serve the Mumbai region's growing air-travel demand while creating additional capacity for airlines. The phased transition is intended to support a transparent, equitable and proportionate rebalancing of capacity across Mumbai's dual airport system, taking into account each airline's presence at CSMIA, as stated by the joint announcement from IndiGo and AAHL.
