Navi Mumbai flights are set to replace 133 weekly international departures from Mumbai’s existing airport as IndiGo and Air India Group move services to make room for Terminal 1 redevelopment. The total is based on estimates from people familiar with the plans; the airlines said on October 25, 2026, that they would progressively transfer services over the coming months.
Key Takeaways
- IndiGo plans to transfer 12 daily international departures, while Air India Group is expected to move seven.
- The transfers could shift nearly 3 million passengers a year, leaving capacity equivalent to roughly 2 million passengers still to be addressed.
- Mumbai airport is targeting March 2030 for the reopening of the rebuilt Terminal 1.
Navi Mumbai flights and airline plans
IndiGo plans to move existing international services to 11 destinations, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta. It also intends to introduce a daily Kathmandu service, bringing its Navi Mumbai international network to 12 destinations between February and July 2027.
IndiGo and Adani Airports said they were in the final stages of putting the plan into operation. IndiGo will also transfer domestic connectivity needed to support its international services. Final dates depend on project coordination and operating approvals.
Air India Group is expected to shift seven daily departures, according to people familiar with the matter. Air India Express plans to begin four daily domestic flights from Navi Mumbai in December 2026, followed by existing Oman services from January 2027. A planned Kuwait service remains subject to approval.
The group’s other transfers include services to Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah. The transition is expected to be completed by the Northern Summer 2027 aviation season, which runs from March 28 to October 30.
Why Mumbai airport is reducing capacity
The transfers are intended to allow airlines to maintain services while Mumbai airport reduces capacity for the redevelopment of Terminal 1. People familiar with the plans estimate that the flights will account for about 60% of the planned reduction of 5 million passengers a year.
Terminal 1 currently has annual capacity of about 15 million passengers. The rebuilt terminal is planned to handle 20 million annually, and the airport operator says airlines’ historic slots will be restored after it reopens.
Other airlines remain in discussions
Emirates and Air France-KLM have expressed reservations about moving capacity to Navi Mumbai, which is about 50 kilometers from the existing airport. The Airline Operators Committee Mumbai previously said airlines had not agreed to a unilateral transfer of international operations or reductions in their existing Mumbai slots.
Discussions with other airlines are continuing. A meeting is scheduled for October 28, ahead of the November 4 deadline for filing summer-schedule slots.
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