IndiGo will shift 12 daily international departures from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from February 2027, as the airline and Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) prepare to expand international operations at the new airport in phases.
The transition, which is in the final stages of operational planning, will cover IndiGo's existing services from Mumbai to Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta.
The airline will also introduce a daily service to Kathmandu, taking its international network at NMIA to 12 destinations between February and July 2027, the companies said in a joint statement.
IndiGo will shift the domestic connectivity needed to support the international services from CSMIA to NMIA, enabling passengers to connect between the airline's domestic and international flights at the new airport. The companies are coordinating infrastructure and operating arrangements to facilitate transfers between the services.
The move is a significant step in developing Navi Mumbai as a second aviation hub for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, while easing pressure on the capacity-constrained CSMIA and accommodating its planned terminal redevelopment.
At CSMIA, the shift will free up capacity for IndiGo to introduce new international services across Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027, using its expanding fleet of A320/A321 aircraft and A321XLRs. The airline will also contribute to the capacity reductions required for the redevelopment of CSMIA's Terminal 1 by 2030.
Airlines reject Navi Mumbai shift
Airlines have rejected Mumbai airport operator’s proposed relocation of a third of international flights from Mumbai Terminal 2 (T2) to Navi Mumbai airport in summer 2027, saying they have not consented to any transfer or reduction of slots and demanding evidence to justify the move.
In a letter to Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) on October 17, the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), which represents airlines operating from Mumbai airport, said it “categorically rejects any unilateral traffic reallocation, slot reduction or cancellation or relocation of international operations without due process”.
The next meeting between airlines and airport operators is set for October 28.
“The airport operator must honour and comply with the ministry of civil aviation’s slot-allocation guidelines issued in May 2013, as well as the International Air Transport Association’s Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines,” the AOC letter said, adding that individual consultations with certain airlines could not be construed as collective acceptance of the proposed shift.
The letter said airlines had neither agreed to transfer international operations from Mumbai to NMIA nor consented to any reduction or cancellation of their allocated slots.
The AOC letter also questioned the need to cut international departure slots at T2 to accommodate the 5 million domestic passengers (per annum) who will be displaced when phase 1 of T1 demolition and reconstruction begins. It pointed out that T1 currently handles fewer than 10 million passengers per annum (mppa), against its capacity of 15 mppa, while T2 is expected to gain an additional capacity of five mppa by March 2027.
The letter said discussion should commence with a comprehensive T1 refurbishment plan, including its scope, structural safety assessment, implementation phases, timelines, terminal-wise passenger capacity and utilisation data, and measures to accommodate traffic during redevelopment. These details must be shared and jointly examined before alternative operational arrangements are considered, it said.
Final dates for shifting IndiGo flight to be announced
IndiGo and AAHL said they would work together to accommodate any further adjustments to the airline's services at CSMIA's Terminal 1 in Terminal 2, as redevelopment progresses.
The phased transition is intended to rebalance operations across Mumbai's two airports in a proportionate manner, taking into account each airline's presence at CSMIA. The companies said the approach would help minimise operational disruption and give airlines and passengers greater certainty as Navi Mumbai expands and the existing airport undergoes redevelopment.
Final dates for shifting flights and introducing new services at CSMIA will be announced after project coordination is completed and the necessary operating approvals are secured.
The expansion is expected to broaden international travel options from Navi Mumbai while allowing CSMIA to accommodate new routes and undertake infrastructure upgrades. For passengers, the transition will require attention to airport locations when booking or connecting flights, particularly as services move in phases.
IndiGo operates a fleet of more than 430 aircraft and runs nearly 2,200 daily flights, connecting over 95 domestic and 40 international destinations, according to the company.
AAHL, part of Adani Enterprises Ltd, operates eight airports, including Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The new airport is central to the group's plans to expand aviation infrastructure and develop airport-led commercial and hospitality destinations.
The expansion of Navi Mumbai's international network marks another stage in the development of a dual-airport system intended to serve the Mumbai region's growing air-travel demand while creating additional capacity for airlines.
