Mumbai airport flight reshuffle: IndiGo, Air India Group announce phased shift to Navi Mumbai

IndiGo and Air India Group will progressively shift some domestic and international flights from Mumbai's existing airport to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport from December, as authorities seek to free up capacity for the redevelopment of a terminal, the airlines said.

IndiGo plans to begin international operations from Navi Mumbai in February 2027, transferring 12 daily international departures from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and adding a daily service to Kathmandu.

Air India Group will begin its phased transition with Air India Express operating four daily domestic flights from NMIA from December 2026, followed by planned services to Kuwait and existing services to Oman from January 2027.

The moves are part of a plan to redistribute flights between Mumbai's two airports to facilitate the redevelopment of CSMIA's Terminal 1.

As part of the transition to NMIA, IndiGo will progressively transfer all its existing international operations from CSMIA to Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta.

An additional daily service to Kathmandu will also be introduced, taking the airline's international network at NMIA to 12 destinations.

IndiGo will also transition the required domestic connectivity from CSMIA to NMIA to support these international services, ensuring "seamless onward connections for customers", the airline and AAHL said in a joint statement.

Meanwhile, Air India Group will progressively shift Air India Express services to Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah to NMIA, with the process expected to be completed by the International Air Transport Association's Northern Summer 2027 season.

The group said the transition followed continued engagement with the airport operator and was aligned with the wider airport transition programme for domestic and international airlines.

The phased move will support the redevelopment of CSMIA's Terminal 1 while allowing Air India Group to continue serving the market efficiently and "preserve the historicity of its existing operating slots at CSMIA".

The announcements come amid opposition from airlines to a proposed reallocation of flight slots at CSMIA, operated by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL).

The Airline Operators Committee (AOC) Mumbai had questioned the justification for the proposed cuts, calling for verifiable capacity assessments, operational data and evidence-based reasoning.

The airport operator had proposed reducing 265 of CSMIA's 770 weekly international departures, with affected flights to be shifted to Navi Mumbai or temporarily suspended until the redevelopment work progresses.

Under the proposal, IndiGo faced cuts of 74 weekly international departures from its 224, while Air India faced a reduction of 33 from 100. Air India Express was also to lose seven of its 21 scheduled weekly departures from CSMIA's Terminal 2.

The civil aviation ministry had asked airlines and the airport operator to finalise an acceptable transition plan by October 20 after carriers objected to the proposed changes.

Airport authorities and stakeholders are due to meet again on October 28.

The redevelopment of Terminal 1 is expected to increase its annual passenger-handling capacity to 20 million from 15 million, alongside safety improvements, modernised passenger facilities and upgraded digital processing systems.

The airport operator has said airlines' historical slots at CSMIA will be restored after the redevelopment is completed.

CSMIA handles around 55 million passengers annually, and about 91% of its traffic is expected to continue operating from the existing airport during the redevelopment programme.

Navi Mumbai International Airport is designed to handle 20 million passengers annually in its initial phase, with capacity planned to increase to 90 million in later stages.

IndiGo said the transfer would also create room for new international services from CSMIA across Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027, supported by its expanding fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, including the A321XLR.

The airline said it would announce the final dates for shifting services and introducing new flights after completing project coordination and securing the necessary operating approvals.