Terminal 1 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport stops handling flights on October 25, 2026. Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) says the terminal will stay closed until 2029-30, with redevelopment starting in January 2027, according to Business Today.
Who is affected
T1 is the Santacruz domestic terminal. The Week lists IndiGo, SpiceJet, Alliance Air, Akasa Air and Star Air as the carriers operating there. MIAL has told them to move to Terminal 2, shift to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI), or suspend flights. Akasa Air has already begun moving.
The redevelopment was first planned for mid-2025 and slipped because airlines had no other facility to use. Navi Mumbai’s airport now supplies that space. MIAL says it will honour airlines’ slot rights when the rebuilt terminal opens.
The international shift is on hold
A second change is still unsettled. Adani Airport Holdings had asked airlines to move or drop 265 weekly international departures, about a third of T2’s international operations, by October 25. Swarajya reported on October 7 that the Civil Aviation Ministry asked Adani to defer that plan after a 90-minute meeting on October 6 with airlines, IATA and the Airports Authority of India. Airlines argued that winter schedules, aircraft, crews and sold tickets were already committed, and that splitting international flying across two airports 35 to 40 km apart would raise costs and complicate connections.
The ministry asked for a firm transition plan by October 20. The reports do not say whether the T1 closure date itself has moved, and Adani has said the project cannot be delayed further.
What it means for you
- Check the terminal and airport code on your ticket. Mumbai is BOM; Navi Mumbai is NMI.
- If you fly a T1 airline after October 25, confirm with the airline whether your flight now leaves from T2.
- Add travel time. T2 will carry the T1 airlines’ domestic flights on top of its own traffic, so expect longer queues at check-in and security.
- For a Navi Mumbai departure, plan the road or rail leg in advance. It sits well outside the Santacruz and Andheri catchment.
- Keep any airline SMS or email about a terminal change. If a carrier suspends a route, you can ask for a refund or rebooking.
Outlook
The October 20 deadline for a transition plan is the next marker. Until the ministry and Adani publish it, passengers booked on international flights should not assume a move to Navi Mumbai, and domestic passengers should assume T1 is closed from October 25. Airlines are likely to send notices in the final week before the date.
Sources: Business Today, The Week, Swarajya
This report was written with AI assistance from the publicly reported sources linked here; each fact was cross-checked against at least two of them.