Mumbai's Dual-Airport Era Begins: IndiGo, Air India to Shift Flights to Navi Mumbai from December

IndiGo and the Air India group will progressively move a set of flights from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai to the newly built Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from December, under a phased transition planned to run through the 2027 summer aviation season.

The airport operator, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), and the airlines said the move would release capacity at CSMIA for the long-planned redevelopment of Terminal 1, and would allow Mumbai to operate as a two-airport city. Airlines will retain their historical operating slots at CSMIA even as selected domestic and international services move to Navi Mumbai.

The arrangement follows about 18 months of consultations between the carriers and AAHL, which operates both airports.

According to a joint statement by IndiGo and the airport operator, the airline will progressively transfer 12 daily international departures from CSMIA to NMIA. These cover its current operations to Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta. IndiGo will also add a daily service to Kathmandu, taking its international network at NMIA to 12 destinations between February and July 2027.

In a separate statement, the Air India group said it would 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 IATA Northern Summer 2027 season. The group described the transition as the outcome of continued engagement with the airport operator and said it was aligned with the wider airport transition programme for domestic and international carriers.

Both carriers said operating from CSMIA and NMIA together would strengthen connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, give travellers more choice and support the growth of aviation infrastructure in the region. The Air India group added that the phased move would let it continue serving the market efficiently while preserving the historicity of its existing slots at CSMIA.

AAHL welcomed the Air India group's plans to begin operations from NMIA, saying the new airport is being developed with advanced technology, multimodal connectivity and scalable infrastructure to support future aviation growth and provide a smooth travel experience.

IndiGo will also shift the domestic connectivity needed to support international transfers at the new airport. The airline and AAHL said they are in the final stages of operational planning, and that final transition dates remain subject to project coordination and operating approvals.

The capacity freed at CSMIA is expected to help IndiGo introduce new international services across Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027, using its expanding A320, A321 and A321XLR fleet. Further adjustments to its operations at Terminals 1 and 2 to facilitate the redevelopment are expected to be accommodated at Terminal 2. IndiGo will also move the required domestic connections from CSMIA to NMIA to ensure onward connections for passengers.

The joint statement said AAHL has been working closely with IndiGo to put in place the infrastructure at NMIA needed for an efficient transfer between the airline's international and domestic services, describing the move as the next step in building NMIA as a long-term international hub for the carrier.

CSMIA, one of the busiest airports in the country, has faced persistent capacity constraints as air traffic in the Mumbai region has grown. The phased shift to NMIA is intended to ease that pressure while the older airport's Terminal 1 is taken up for redevelopment.