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Why it matters
Travellers flying from Mumbai to the Gulf may find their 2027 flights leaving from Navi Mumbai instead of the main airport. Booking the right airport and allowing for the trip there will matter, especially for connections.
Navi Mumbai airport will take over a large slice of Mumbai’s Gulf flights over the next year. IndiGo plans to move 12 daily international departures from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from February 2027, and Air India Express will begin shifting flights in December 2026, the airlines and airport operator Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) said in two joint statements on 25 October 2026.
Which flights move to Navi Mumbai airport, and when
The two statements, as reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency and the Chennai newspaper DT Next, set out a phased plan rather than a single switch-over date. NewsPlainly has put the routes and dates from both statements in one table.
| Airline | What moves to NMIA | From |
|---|---|---|
| Air India Express | 4 daily domestic flights | December 2026 |
| Air India Express | Existing Oman flights; planned Kuwait flights (subject to approvals) | January 2027 |
| Air India Express | Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat, Sharjah | In phases, to finish by the Northern Summer 2027 season |
| IndiGo | 12 daily international departures: Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka, Jakarta | February 2027, in phases to July 2027 |
| IndiGo | New daily Kathmandu flight | Between February and July 2027 |
| IndiGo | Domestic flights that connect with those international services | Alongside the international move |
For IndiGo, the list covers all of its present flights from the old airport to those 11 cities, according to the statement as quoted by The Hans India. With Kathmandu added, IndiGo will fly to 12 international destinations from Navi Mumbai between February and July 2027. The Northern Summer season in airline scheduling usually starts at the end of March.
The dates are not final. Final dates for moving flights will be announced after planning is complete and “the necessary operating approvals are secured”, DT Next reported, citing the IndiGo statement. Kuwait for Air India Express is also subject to approvals.
Why Terminal 1 redevelopment is moving airlines out
The move is tied to the planned rebuilding of CSMIA’s Terminal 1, the older of its two terminals, which needs flights to be cut at the main airport while work goes on. IndiGo said the shift would count towards the capacity reductions needed to redevelop Terminal 1 by 2030, and would free space at CSMIA for new IndiGo routes to Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027, DT Next reported.
Air India Group said the phased move followed talks with the airport operator and would let it keep the “historicity”, or long-held rights, of its existing take-off and landing slots at CSMIA, according to PTI’s report in The Tribune. AAHL runs both Mumbai airports.
The deals follow a row earlier this month. Mumbai International Airport Ltd had proposed cutting 265 of 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from 25 October 2026, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global airline body, objected, Swarajya reported. The Ministry of Civil Aviation then mediated, and the forced shift of international flights was put off to March 2027, it reported on 14 October. The new arrangements are presented as agreements between each airline and the operator.
What passengers flying from Mumbai should check
Both statements say passengers will need to check their departure airport, because services will move in stages rather than all at once. Neither statement said how existing bookings will be handled. Based on what the airlines have said so far:
- Before December 2026: no change has been announced for flights already booked.
- From December 2026: some Air India Express domestic flights leave from Navi Mumbai. Check the airport name on the ticket and in the airline’s app.
- From January and February 2027: Gulf and Oman flights on Air India Express, and IndiGo flights to the 11 named cities, start moving. A trip to Riyadh, Jeddah or Muscat booked for 2027 may leave from Navi Mumbai, even if it used to leave from the main airport.
- Connections: IndiGo says it will move the linked domestic flights too, so passengers can change planes at Navi Mumbai airport.
- Getting there: confirm the departure airport the day before travel, since the two airports are about 50 km apart, Gulf News reported, and flights will change in stages.
AAHL has said it plans to give international passengers at Navi Mumbai cash vouchers to cover a higher user development fee there, Gulf News reported on 5 October. The airport has not published the details.
How big Navi Mumbai airport is now
Navi Mumbai International Airport began commercial flights on 25 December 2025, with IndiGo, Air India Express, Akasa Air and Star Air flying on the first day, PTI reported at the time. It was built by AAHL with the state’s City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).
The first phase can handle 20 million passengers a year, rising to 90 million when complete, and it runs about 95 to 110 daily flights to 46 destinations, Swarajya reported this month. Its only international service was Air India Express’s Abu Dhabi route, the same report said.
The scale of the change is clear from the airlines’ size. IndiGo runs nearly 2,200 daily flights and Air India Express more than 585, according to the companies. Moving 12 daily IndiGo international departures and a string of Air India Express Gulf flights would turn Navi Mumbai airport from a mostly domestic airport into Mumbai’s main gateway for many Gulf destinations.
Gulf flights from India are already disrupted for other reasons: Air India has suspended some Saudi routes until 7 November after attacks on airports there, as NewsPlainly reported. Final schedules for the Navi Mumbai shift will appear in the airlines’ booking systems once approvals are secured. Until then, the dates in the statements are the plan, not a timetable.
Frequently asked questions
Which IndiGo flights are moving to Navi Mumbai airport?
IndiGo's present Mumbai flights to Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta, 12 daily departures in all, from February 2027, plus a new Kathmandu flight.
When will Air India flights move to Navi Mumbai?
Air India Express begins with 4 daily domestic flights in December 2026, Oman and planned Kuwait flights from January 2027, and Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah by the Northern Summer 2027 season.
Why are flights moving from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai?
To free capacity at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport so its Terminal 1 can be rebuilt by 2030, and to build up Navi Mumbai as Mumbai's second airport.