Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has opposed the plan to shift flights to the Navi Mumbai airport next summer.
MUMBAI: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has opposed the Mumbai airport operator’s plan to shift flights to 14 international destinations to Navi Mumbai airport from next summer, asserting that no flights would be moved out of Mumbai. He has written to the civil aviation minister, proposing an alternative plan for Terminal 1 (T1) redevelopment. Last week, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) informed the civil aviation ministry of its plan to shift flights connecting Mumbai with 14 international destinations to Navi Mumbai from next summer. The entire 15-mppa T1 is scheduled to be demolished by March 2028, with reconstruction to begin only thereafter. The new terminal is expected to be ready by December 2030.
“I have written to them to first develop Terminal 1B, shift 1A to 1B and then take down the existing 1A terminal,” he said. Airline sources said shutting T1 entirely would leave Mumbai airport with a substantial capacity deficit for three years or more. “The operational complexity at T1 stems from its fragmented infrastructure, with T1A, T1B and T1C not functioning as independent, full-scale terminals,” a source said.
Fadnavis has suggested developing Terminal 1B first, shifting operations from 1A to 1B and then demolishing the existing 1A terminal. The proposal would allow T1 to be redeveloped in phases while keeping existing facilities operational, rather than shutting down the entire terminal before its replacement is ready. The plan has drawn resistance from airlines. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents airlines globally, had urged the ministry to adopt a phased redevelopment strategy, with sections of T1 demolished and reconstructed sequentially to avoid a wholesale loss of capacity.