Mumbai airport T1 redevelopment - how passengers will be affected as 265 international flights move to Navi Mumbai

As Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which operates Mumbai International Airport, prepares to revamp Terminal 1 following its demolition in January, it has asked airlines to shift around one-third of their international passenger and cargo air traffic movements to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The move would involve relocating at least 265 of the 770 weekly international flights to NMIA by 25 October.

Apart from shifting flights to Navi Mumbai Airport, from 25 October, at least one-third of all air traffic movements at T1 will be moved to T2.

In its communication to all airlines, Adani Group-controlled MIAL on Thursday said that a meeting took place on 16 September to facilitate the shift, adding that a number of airlines chose not to participate. The operator noted that "several airlines" did not respond to the request or submit their "transition plans" by 25 September. Following this, MIAL announced that it had decided to proceed with shifting flights to the new airport, citing the available operational data, Business Standard reported.

Why is MIAL demolishing Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport?

According to a PTI report, MIAL said Terminal 1 (T1) is nearly eight decades old, with parts of the terminal already demolished. T1 and T2 have the capacity to handle around 15 million and 40 million passengers, respectively. Further, MIAL has informed the civil aviation ministry that it plans to begin "demolition of the North Section of Terminal 1-B, starting January 15, 2027".

MIAL's Chief Airport Officer Vishnu Mohan Jha said in the letter to Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, "It has been decided that Phase 1 of the redevelopment plan of BOM Terminal 1 shall be limited to just the North Section of Terminal 1-B (catering to around 5 mppa traffic) in order to ensure minimal impact on airline operations and passenger convenience."

The Adani Group further said T1 has long been identified as a safety-related concern and added that after the fire incident at Terminal 1 in April this year, the risks associated with continuing operations have become even more pronounced.

According to the group, the redevelopment will increase its capacity by 33 per cent, up to 20 mppa from the current 15 mppa.

How will passengers be impacted?

Ahead of the planned shift, the move is expected to affect flyers and commuters across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Passengers will now have to travel to NMIA, potentially facing longer road journeys and higher travel costs. Additionally, the redistribution is also expected to ease congestion at Mumbai airport.

Further, the relocation has raised concerns over the additional time and travel costs that passengers will now have to incur to reach Navi Mumbai Airport.

Will passenger traffic be affected?

According to a statement from the Adani Group, around 5 million passengers, or nearly nine per cent of Mumbai airport's annual passenger traffic, will be temporarily affected by the redevelopment of Terminal 1, while the remaining 91 per cent of passengers are expected to remain unaffected.

Arun Bansal, CEO, Adani Airport Holdings Limited, said, "91% of Mumbai Airport’s passenger traffic will remain unaffected even as we undertake redevelopment of the age-old infrastructure that was in urgent need of repairs. Only the North Section of Terminal 1B, which accounts for around one-third of T1 of Mumbai Airport’s capacity, is being demolished in Phase 1 to minimise passenger inconvenience and operational disruption. The transition to Navi Mumbai Airport is temporary and does not represent a permanent shift of Mumbai Airport traffic."

While the redevelopment of Terminal 1 is expected to temporarily affect a portion of Mumbai Airport's passenger traffic, MIAL and the Adani Group have maintained that the shift to Navi Mumbai Airport is temporary and aimed at ensuring that the redevelopment can be carried out with minimal disruption to passengers and airline operations.

(with PTI inputs)