Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has proposed temporarily relocating all international flights connecting Mumbai with 14 destinations to Navi Mumbai International Airport if airlines do not voluntarily submit their shifting plans. In a letter dated October 30 to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, MIAL said the move would help meet its target of temporarily transferring passenger capacity of five million annually from Mumbai airport, as it prepares to redevelop Terminal 1 over safety concerns.
The 14 destinations identified are Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait City, Madinah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh and Sharjah. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, 16 airlines operate a combined 205 weekly flights between Mumbai and these destinations. Of these, 12 carriers operating 102 weekly flights have yet to publicly agree to shift their services to Navi Mumbai.
The airlines that have not publicly agreed to the proposed relocation include Air Arabia, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, Saudia, Qatar Airways, Riyadh Air, Jazeera Airways, SalamAir, Flyadeal, Flynas and Nepal Airlines. The Adani Group operates both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports. MIAL has been seeking to relocate around one-third of international flights from Mumbai airport, a proposal that has faced opposition from several foreign carriers.
MIAL said Indian airlines had already announced plans to shift some services to Navi Mumbai during the summer schedule, which begins at the end of March. These plans account for approximately three million passengers annually. To reach its target of five million passengers, the airport operator has asked airlines to identify additional flights that can be moved from Mumbai.
If airlines do not submit proposals, MIAL has indicated that it intends to temporarily shift all flights between Mumbai and the 14 destinations. The operator said consolidating services at one airport would ensure that flights from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to these destinations are not split between two airports, helping facilitate onward connections and reduce passenger inconvenience.
The proposed relocation follows months of discussions between MIAL and foreign airlines, which have sought more time and better coordination before shifting operations. MIAL has requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s support and guidance in implementing the plan. The supplied report does not include the remaining details on Mumbai airport’s annual passenger-handling capacity or the ministry’s response.