Mumbai airport will start shutting Terminal 1 in January; airlines have not agreed where flights go

What the airport operator has said

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will begin closing its older Terminal 1 in stages from January 2027 so that it can 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,” Arun Bansal, chief executive of Adani Airport Holdings, told the Financial Express on 23 September. Speaking at a conference in Mumbai the same day, he told CNBC-TV18 that the demolition timeline cannot be delayed.

The Financial Express reports the first phase as starting on 15 January 2027, with traffic redistributed to Terminal 2 and to Navi Mumbai International Airport beforehand. Bansal said airlines could move flights to T2 where there is room, to Navi Mumbai, or to other airports: “They have a choice to go anywhere or stop operations.” Separately, Adani Airports expects all freighter flights to move to Navi Mumbai before 15 October, although the paper’s industry sources expect that to slip.

What is not decided

Adani Airports had earlier outlined a plan to shift about 30% of international flights from Mumbai’s Terminal 2 to Navi Mumbai from October, to make room at T2 before T1 starts closing. CNBC-TV18 reports that airlines have not committed to moving their existing international flights, citing concerns about passenger demand and last-mile connectivity at Navi Mumbai, and that it remains unclear how much of that transfer will happen. No airline has announced which of its Mumbai flights will change terminal or airport, and the airport has not published a list.

What it means for travellers

Nothing has been announced that changes flights before January. The practical risk is a terminal or airport change on a booking made months ahead. For any Mumbai flight from mid-January 2027, check the terminal — and whether it is Mumbai or Navi Mumbai — in your airline’s app a few days before departure rather than relying on the confirmation email, and allow extra time if your flight has moved. Planning a trip from the city? See Maharashtra.

We will update this article when the airport or the airlines publish which flights move, and when.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Mumbai airport capacity to come under pressure as T1 shutdown nears — Financial Express, 23 September 2026
• Standoff continues between Mumbai airport and airlines on shifting flights to Navi Mumbai as T1 demolition nears — CNBC-TV18, 23 September 2026