Fadnavis Proposes Phased Mumbai Airport Terminal 1 Redevelopment

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has proposed a phased redevelopment plan for Terminal 1 (T1) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to prevent significant flight disruptions. In a letter to the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, Fadnavis suggested developing a new terminal section, 1B, first to accommodate traffic from Terminal 1A before the latter is demolished and reconstructed. This approach replaces a previous plan by Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) to shift flights for 14 international destinations to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) by next summer.

MIAL, operated by Adani Airport Holdings, argued that the redevelopment is urgent due to structural weaknesses identified in 2017 and 2024 audits, as well as a fire in April 2026. While the International Air Transport Association and various airlines resisted a sudden loss of capacity, some carriers have already agreed to transition plans. Air India Express and Akasa Air will begin moving services to NMIA in December 2026, while IndiGo plans to transfer 12 daily international departures between February and July 2027. To incentivize these moves, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority has implemented landing charge waivers for international routes at NMIA.

Approximately 91% of international passenger traffic will remain unaffected, with 39 of 50 international airlines continuing operations at Terminal 2. The redeveloped T1 is expected to increase annual passenger capacity from 15 million to 20 million and is targeted to be operational by March 2029.