Fadnavis opposes shifting international flights from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai airport

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a letter to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, has requested that not a single international flight be shifted from Mumbai Airport to Navi Mumbai International Airport.

He asserted that both airports must operate independently at their full respective capacities.

CM’s intervention follows a proposal by the Mumbai Airport operator to shift 33% of international operations—comprising approximately 265 flights—to Navi Mumbai Airport starting from the Summer 2027 schedule.

The proposed shift was intended to facilitate the complete demolition and rebuilding of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s (CSMIA) ageing Terminal 1, which currently handles 15 million passengers annually and requires major structural overhauls.

CM’s office has confirmed that the communication was sent to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.

The Terminal 1 building at Mumbai Airport is old and unsafe. Consequently, the Mumbai Airport Authority plans to redevelop the building in phases.

To facilitate the redevelopment work, the authority proposed shifting 33% of international air traffic—amounting to 265 flights—to Navi Mumbai Airport. This proposal was presented to both Indian and foreign airlines. Initially, domestic carriers opposed the move, but over time, IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air agreed to relocate services to Navi Mumbai Airport.

On the other hand, foreign airlines continue to oppose shifting their operations. CM Fadnavis clarified that no flights or international operations will be diverted from Mumbai Airport to Navi Mumbai, and both airports will operate independently according to their respective capacities.

The Chief Minister urged the Civil Aviation Ministry via letter not to divert international flights to Navi Mumbai. The operators of Mumbai Airport had proposed moving flights to 14 international destinations—including Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Muscat, and Riyadh—to Navi Mumbai Airport starting from the Summer 2027 schedule, a move the Chief Minister opposed.

Chief Minister said that under the current plan, Terminal 1—which has a capacity of 15 million passengers—is proposed to be completely demolished by December 2030 to build a new terminal. However, shutting it down all at once would severely disrupt flight services for the next 3 years or more.

As a solution, the Chief Minister has proposed a phased redevelopment. He strongly argued that this phased approach would keep current passenger amenities running smoothly until the new terminal is ready, eliminating any need to reroute flights out of Mumbai.

He suggested the completion of the construction of the new Terminal 1B first under phase one, during phase two shift ongoing operations from “Terminal 1-A” to the newly built “Terminal 1-B” and during phase three demolish the old “Terminal 1-A” and complete its redevelopment.

By executing the T1 overhaul incrementally, state officials argue that passenger amenities can remain fully functional without compromising safety or forcing airlines to alter their operational bases.