IndiGo will start moving West Asia flights from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai in December. Air India Express will follow from January, and its Gulf routes will shift progressively through the summer 2027 season1, 2. IndiGo will shift 12 daily international departures, more than a third of its international departures from Mumbai1. IndiGo and Air India Group plan to shift 133 weekly international departures in total2.
For air cargo, the change is about where a shipment is handed over, not just where passengers board. Belly space on these passenger flights goes with them, away from Mumbai's Sahar cargo complex. CSMIA is India's second-busiest airport by cargo traffic7. The first phase starts in December, inside the winter schedule that began on 25 October1.
What moves, and when
| Airline | Timing | What shifts |
|---|---|---|
| IndiGo | From December, progressive | 12 daily international departures to Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Dhaka and Jakarta1, 2 |
| IndiGo | February to July 2027 | A new daily Kathmandu service, taking its international network at Navi Mumbai to 12 destinations1, 2 |
| Air India Express | December | Four daily domestic flights1, 2 |
| Air India Express | January 2027 | Existing Muscat flights and a new Kuwait service, subject to approvals1, 2 |
| Air India Express | Through summer 2027 | Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah, to be completed by the northern summer season that runs from 28 March to 30 October 20271, 2 |
Dubai and Abu Dhabi continue from Mumbai for now. IndiGo has not announced a shift of its Doha services; it has a codeshare with Qatar Airways1. IndiGo is also moving the domestic flights that feed these services, so some domestic to international connections will no longer sit under one roof1.
Several Saudi points on the list are not being served at all at present. IndiGo has cancelled Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah until 31 October8.
The cargo terminal is open; the cargo arrangements are not yet announced
Navi Mumbai's air cargo complex sits on the east side of the airfield. Its international terminal covers 23,700 sq m and its domestic terminal 33,000 sq m. The first phase is built for 0.8 million tonnes of cargo a year3. Dedicated freighter flights began on 1 August 2026 with an IndiGo Cargo departure to Sharjah, and the complex has seven freighter stands3. An airport spokesperson pointed to "growing passenger and cargo operations" when nine new domestic routes were announced on 23 October9.
Emirates senior vice-president Essa Sulaiman Ahmad said in mid-October that Navi Mumbai was not ready for a shift. He said the new airport would need catering and cargo warehousing facilities before airlines could move4.
The statements from IndiGo, Air India Group and Adani Airports do not set out cargo cut-off times, acceptance points, trucking arrangements or terminal charges at Navi Mumbai1, 2. IndiGo and Adani Airports said final dates remain subject to project coordination and operating approvals2.
Trucking is the other open item. The new airport's site at Ulwe is about 35 km from the existing airport in one description3. Airlines and news reports describe the two airports as around 50 km apart, and the difference matters for road journeys2, 10. National Highway 348 runs along NMIA's eastern boundary3. Adani Airports says three CIDCO bridges across Panvel Creek and the Gadhi river will improve links to Atal Setu, the Ulwe coastal road and NH-4B11.
Why Terminal 1 drives the move
Mumbai airport plans to begin redeveloping Terminal 1 in January. The partial closure would affect about 5 million passengers a year1. The rebuilt terminal is planned to go from 15 million to 20 million passengers a year, about 33% more, with reopening targeted for March 20302, 11.
The traffic numbers are still contested. The Economic Times reported that the shift covers nearly 3 million passengers a year, about 60% of the 5 million capacity reduction planned at Mumbai2. Adani Airports puts the figure at 3.6 million passengers, around 70% of the traffic targeted in the first phase11.
Airlines have not signed off. The Airline Operators Committee, which represents 47 airlines at Mumbai, says members did not agree to transfer international operations or to cut slots5. It has asked for terminal capacity data before any reallocation6. It notes that Terminal 1 handles fewer than 10 million passengers a year. It also notes that 5 million passengers a year of capacity is expected to be added at Terminal 2 by March 20276. Mumbai airport had proposed suspending 265 weekly international departure slots6.
The airport first tried to move flights in the winter schedule. It deferred the plan after airline objections and agreed not to cut international flights this winter1, 4. The next airport and airline meeting is on Wednesday 28 October. Airlines must file summer schedule slots by 4 November2, 6.
Two Gulf stories, only one of them lasting
Security-driven suspensions are temporary. Air India and Air India Express have stopped Riyadh and Dammam flights until 7 November. Their Jeddah flights are suspended until 31 October8. IndiGo has cancelled Jeddah, Dammam and Madinah until 31 October. Akasa Air has suspended Riyadh until 30 November and Jeddah until 10 November8.
The Navi Mumbai transfer is a structural change tied to terminal redevelopment. The airlines' historic Mumbai slots are to be restored only after Terminal 1 reopens2, 11. Both touch the same lanes: Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam appear on the suspension list and on the list of cities moving to Navi Mumbai2, 8.
Re-planning checklist
- Tender point: which airport code sits on the booking, and whether the ULD is accepted at NMIA or trucked to Mumbai.
- Cut-off: the NMIA terminal cut-off against Sahar's, and whether it changes for late-night departures.
- Trucking: cost and transit time from the Bhiwandi and Taloja belt to Ulwe against Sahar, and who pays.
- Consolidation: whether a Gulf consol now has to split across two airports, and what that does to minimum charges.
- Documents and rates: customs and transhipment details for a new airport, and whether quoted rates hold.
What to watch
- The 28 October meeting and the 4 November deadline for summer slot filings2, 6.
- December, when IndiGo's first 12 daily departures and Air India Express's four domestic flights are due to start1, 2.
- January 2027, when Air India Express moves its existing Muscat service and adds Kuwait1.
- Summer 2027, when the transfer is due to be completed. Mumbai slots return only after Terminal 1 reopens, targeted for March 20302, 11.
- Whether Akasa Air follows; it could decide soon on moving some operations2.