Mumbai International Airport Postpones 265 Weekly International Departures Shift to March 2027

Mumbai International Airport Ltd postponed its plan to shift 265 weekly international departure slots from Terminal 2 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport until around March 2027, the end of the winter schedule. The operator, controlled by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, had planned the move for October 25, 2026, according to EIN Presswire.

Mumbai Airport's Terminal 1 Redevelopment Plan

Mumbai International Airport Ltd, or MIAL, announced plans to shift 265 weekly international departure slots, roughly one-third of the 770 weekly international departures at Terminal 2, by October 25, 2026. The aim was to clear space at Terminal 2 in order to redevelop Terminal 1. Parts of the ageing Terminal 1 are nearly 60 years old and need to be rebuilt, a process that would displace roughly 5 million domestic passengers a year, about 9% of the airport's total traffic.

The International Air Transport Association responded with a letter to the aviation ministry arguing that any transition must be entirely voluntary, operationally feasible and commercially viable, according to reports covered by The Core. The ministry stepped in, and the move was postponed until the end of the winter schedule around March 2027.

Emirates Airlines was especially forceful. "The airport is not ready. In terms of cargo, the handling facilities, the warehousing facilities and the catering facilities, it will be very difficult for airlines to move to an airport unless there is a fully functional aviation ecosystem," said Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates' senior vice-president for commercial operations for West Asia and Indian Ocean, at a press briefing. Airlines also said splitting international operations across two airports nearly 50 kilometres apart would double ground-handling contracts and raise issues around aircraft rotations, crew rostering, hotels, catering and international regulatory permissions.

Mumbai International Airport's Earlier Cargo and Shift Notices

In September 2026, Mumbai International Airport said it was closely monitoring cargo operations as increased shipment volumes and a surge in odd-sized cargo led to significant congestion and truck wait times of up to 72 hours, BusinessLine reported. In August 2026, MIAL sent an email to airline partners outlining a phased traffic shift ahead of Terminal 1 redevelopment, with at least one-third of international flights from Terminal 2 moving to Navi Mumbai from October 1, 2026, CNBCTV18 reported. MIAL also told the Civil Aviation Ministry it would begin Phase 1 of Terminal 1 redevelopment on January 15, 2027, limited to the north section of Terminal 1-B serving about 5 million passengers, Financial Express reported.

Navi Mumbai Fees and Adani Airport Incentives

Navi Mumbai's user development fee is reported to be about 3.5 times Mumbai's. Adani is offering a 100% landing-fee discount for new international flights at Navi Mumbai and plans cash vouchers for passengers to offset the user development fee difference. Airlines rejected these incentives as not addressing their central concerns.

What Comes Next for the Mumbai Airport Shift

MIAL has said Phase 1 of Terminal 1 redevelopment will begin on January 15, 2027, limited to the north section of Terminal 1-B. The flight shift is postponed until around March 2027, the end of the winter schedule.