Mumbai airport’s phased Terminal 1 redevelopment is set to put pressure on available capacity, with Adani Airports beginning the shutdown of sections of the terminal from January. Airlines will have the flexibility to shift operations to Mumbai Airport T2 if there is availability, Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) or other airports during the redevelopment.
Arun Bansal, CEO, Adani Airport Holdings, said the operator cannot delay the redevelopment as the existing terminal needs to be demolished and rebuilt. “From the beginning of January, one-third of T1 will be shut down. Two-thirds a little later and, further ahead, the entire T1 will be shut down and redeveloped,” Bansal said.
The phased closure will require airlines to accommodate their operations elsewhere. Bansal said carriers could move to NMIA or other airports depending on their operational requirements. “They have a choice to go anywhere or stop operations. When the NOTAM is over, when the terminal is back, they can start,” he said.
The airport operator will not dictate where airlines move their operations, Bansal said. “We can never tell airlines. Airlines have to make their own decisions based on their business logic,” he said.
Adani Airports has given airlines advance notice to plan for the shutdown. “We have to tell them in advance. So, they have around six months of planning,” Bansal said.
He also ruled out delaying the demolition in response to airline requests. “They say, can you delay the T1 demolition? We say, sorry, cannot,” he said.
Bansal said the redevelopment is necessary given the condition of the existing terminal and the need to create modern capacity at Mumbai airport. The operator has also told airlines that they can move to Navi Mumbai whenever they want, while feedback from carriers on infrastructure is being addressed.
“We have told airlines that they can move to Navi Mumbai whenever they want,” Bansal said.
MIAL has planned the first phase of T1 demolition for January 15, 2027, with traffic to be redistributed to T2 and NMIA ahead of the shutdown.
The capacity pressure will coincide with changes to Mumbai airport’s cargo operations. Adani Airports expects all freighter operations to move to NMIA before October 15, however sources tell FE that this will see dealys. The existing cargo terminal at Mumbai airport will also need to be rebuilt, with the redevelopment expected to take around three years.
“We need to tear down cargo. We have to make a new cargo terminal, which will take three years,” Bansal said, adding that the existing facility is in poor condition.
“The existing cargo terminal is in poor condition and we could never give an alternative to airlines,” he said.
With NMIA providing an alternative, airlines can move their freighter operations there or elsewhere. “Now, at least we are telling airlines, you have an alternative. You want to go to Navi Mumbai or you go somewhere else, but your choice,” Bansal said.
While most unscheduled cargo carriers have relocated to NMIA, some airlines with scheduled cargo operations have raised concerns over the linkage between passenger and cargo operations if freighters shift to NMIA while passenger flights continue from Mumbai’s T2. Bansal said the decision rests with individual airlines.
“They have to make a decision. They have a choice that they can move their passenger flights also there,” he said.
The broader strategy, Bansal said, is to create airport capacity before traffic growth outstrips available infrastructure. “That can only happen when capacity is available before the demand comes, not the other way around,” he said.