Mumbai Flights: Fadnavis Opposes Transfer of 14 Routes
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has opposed a plan to move flights serving 14 international destinations from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai next summer. He proposed rebuilding Terminal 1 in stages so it can remain open until its replacement is ready.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis opposed plans to move flights serving 14 international destinations from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai airport next summer, saying no flights should leave Mumbai. His position challenges an airport operator’s plan for the Summer 2027 schedule.
Fadnavis said Tuesday that he had written to the Union civil aviation minister and proposed rebuilding Terminal 1 in stages, keeping the existing terminal open until its replacement is ready.
Staged Terminal 1 redevelopment
“I have written to them to first develop Terminal 1B, shift 1A to 1B and then take down the existing 1A terminal,” Fadnavis said.
His plan would allow the airport to demolish and rebuild Terminal 1 in phases instead of closing it completely before construction begins. The entire 15-mppa terminal is scheduled for demolition by March 2028, with reconstruction due to start afterward. The new terminal is expected to be ready by December 2030.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd has told airlines it cannot accommodate their requested slots for Summer 2027 and that a temporary transition out of Terminal 2 will be necessary. The schedule begins at the end of March.
Fourteen international destinations affected
Adani Airport Holdings Ltd informed the civil aviation ministry last week that it planned to move flights linking Mumbai with Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta and Jeddah.
The other destinations are Kathmandu, Kuwait City, Madinah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh and Sharjah. The proposed transfer has drawn resistance from airlines.
The airport operator plans to reduce international operations at Terminal 2 by a third under the Summer 2027 schedule. The change would make room for 5 million passengers per annum of domestic traffic displaced by the first phase of Terminal 1’s demolition.
The International Air Transport Association has urged the ministry to support phased redevelopment, with portions of Terminal 1 demolished and rebuilt sequentially. Airline sources said a full closure would leave Mumbai airport with a substantial capacity deficit for three years or more.
Terminal constraints
An unnamed source described Terminal 1’s infrastructure as fragmented, with its three sections not operating as independent, full-scale terminals. The source said Terminal 1A remains unusable because of infrastructure constraints and obsolete equipment.
Terminal 1C has six contact gates and depends on Terminal 1B for passenger check-in, the source said. Passenger processing is split between two security hold areas in Terminal 1B and Terminal 1C, restricting movement and affecting service quality.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd has also proposed a 3.042-km underground airside tunnel between the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 aprons, along with additional aircraft parking stands south of runway 09-27.
When Terminal 2 runs short of parking, some aircraft use the Terminal 1 apron. Passengers and baggage then travel between the terminals by perimeter road and runway 14-32; the operator cited lengthy transfers and monsoon-related delays as reasons for the proposed tunnel.
