Mumbai airport’s planned Terminal 1 closure will do more than move flights between airport buildings. It will redistribute the travel burden of millions of passengers across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, shifting part of the city’s aviation demand towards Navi Mumbai while testing the road links, terminal capacity and coordination systems that connect the two airports.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which operates Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, plans to close Terminal 1 in phases as part of a redevelopment programme. According to a letter written by MIAL chief airport officer Vishnu Mohan Jha to civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha on August 13, demolition of the north section of Terminal 1-B is scheduled to begin on January 15, 2027. The terminal is expected to shut by the end of October, with flight movements redistributed between Mumbai’s Terminal 2 and Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).
The scale of the change is significant. Mumbai airport currently handles about 55 million passengers, while around 15 million passengers use T1 at Santacruz East. MIAL expects flights carrying approximately 10 million passengers to move to NMIA by the end of October. The remaining five million passengers from T1 are expected to be accommodated at T2 in Sahar, whose capacity is expected to rise from 40 million to 45 million passengers.
That redistribution makes the T1 redevelopment an airport-capacity issue as well as a regional mobility issue. A passenger whose flight moves to NMIA will not simply use another terminal within the same airport complex. For many travellers from Mumbai, the change will require a longer road journey across the metropolitan region, with the time and cost of reaching the airport varying according to the passenger’s origin, travel mode and traffic conditions.
The source report does not provide specific journey-time or fare estimates. It does, however, identify the central operational consequence: more passengers will have to travel between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai for air travel. This may increase pressure on already busy roads, particularly during peak periods. The effect will be felt most directly by passengers who previously reached T1 through the western and central parts of Mumbai and now have to plan for a cross-region trip.
The shift also exposes the difference between airport capacity and airport accessibility. A terminal may have sufficient passenger-handling capacity on paper, but the usefulness of that capacity depends on how easily passengers can reach it. In this case, the movement of flights to NMIA creates a new access calculation for flyers: the airport’s location becomes as important as the airline, departure time and ticket price.
MIAL has sought to manage the change through a phased transition. At least one-third of international air traffic movements are planned to shift to NMIA from October 1, while at least one-third of the air traffic movements at T1 are scheduled to move to T2 from October 25. The airport operator has said it will provide transition assistance to airlines for around three and a half months before demolition work begins.
The involvement of multiple institutions is central to the transition. MIAL has requested that the civil aviation ministry establish a joint transition group chaired by the civil aviation secretary. Such a mechanism would bring together the airport operator, airlines, airport authorities and government stakeholders as flight schedules and terminals are reassigned. The request reflects the fact that the disruption cannot be managed by the airport operator alone: passenger information, airline operations, road access and terminal readiness all have to move together.
Airlines have already begun adjusting their operations. Akasa Air shifted its domestic operations from T1 to T2 from August 1 as part of the operational realignment. MIAL has also said it is engaging with domestic and international airlines over the partial movement of flights from T2 to NMIA and from T1 to T2. For passengers, the practical implication is that the airport and terminal shown on an earlier travel routine may no longer remain valid for a future flight.
The redistribution could ease some of the pressure at the existing Mumbai airport. At present, all flights landing at Mumbai airport use its single operational runway before passengers are taken to either T1 or T2. With part of the traffic shifting to NMIA, aircraft holding time before landing and delays before departure pushback are expected to reduce. The report also says the change is expected to improve punctuality and on-time performance, although it does not provide projected reductions in delay or holding times.
The movement of general aviation is part of the same rebalancing. Most private and charter aircraft are expected to transition to NMIA in the coming months. This could release some operational space at Mumbai airport, but the broader outcome will depend on how effectively the two airports coordinate flight movements, airline schedules and passenger transfers during the transition.
The redevelopment is being driven by the age and limitations of T1. The terminal is nearly 80 years old, and some portions have already been demolished. Its passenger-handling capacity is around 15 million passengers a year, compared with approximately 40 million at T2. The phased demolition of Terminal 1-B’s north section is intended to limit disruption while allowing the airport system to continue operating.
The pressure does not end with the closure of T1. NMIA’s Terminal 1 has a declared annual passenger-handling capacity of 20 million, or about 55,000 passengers a day. The source report says the terminal is expected to reach saturation by mid-2026, while NMIA’s Terminal 2, with a declared capacity of 30 million passengers a year, is expected to be ready by 2029. Between 2026 and 2029, Mumbai T2 and NMIA T1 are expected to be expanded beyond their declared capacities to accommodate passenger growth.
The timeline creates a narrow capacity window. Around 10 million passengers are expected to shift to NMIA from T1, while the airport’s declared capacity is 20 million passengers annually. The shift therefore appears manageable in aggregate capacity terms, but the operational burden will depend on how passenger demand is distributed across airlines, seasons, flight timings and other airport users. The supplied material does not establish how much spare capacity will remain after the planned redistribution.
This is why the T1 closure is also a test of metropolitan governance. Mumbai and Navi Mumbai function as linked urban systems, but they are administered and experienced as distinct places. An airport decision in Santacruz can alter road demand in Navi Mumbai; a terminal expansion in Sahar can affect airline schedules; and a construction programme at T1 can change the daily travel plans of passengers who may live many kilometres away.
The transition also raises a basic public-information requirement. Passengers will need timely confirmation of the airport and terminal assigned to each flight, particularly when airlines are moving operations in stages. MIAL’s proposed joint transition group is intended to coordinate these changes and minimise inconvenience, but the supplied report does not specify the group’s status, operating procedures or passenger communication system.
The evidence currently confirms three linked developments: T1 is being redeveloped in phases; a large share of its passenger traffic is expected to move to NMIA, with the balance going to T2; and the airport operator expects the redistribution to reduce congestion at Mumbai airport. What remains unclear is the precise effect on road journey times, passenger costs, terminal utilisation and on-time performance. Those indicators will determine whether the two-airport system can absorb the transition without transferring congestion from runways and terminals to metropolitan roads.
The next major milestones are the planned October flight redistribution, the continued movement of operations between T1, T2 and NMIA, and the scheduled January 15, 2027 demolition of the north section of Terminal 1-B. For passengers, the immediate operational priority is to verify the airport and terminal listed for each flight before travelling.