Some of the busiest Gulf routes out of Mumbai are set to move to the city’s new airport. IndiGo and the Air India Group said on 25 and 26 October that they will shift selected flights from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) in phases running into summer 2027.
What is moving, and when
Air India Express will start with four daily domestic departures from Navi Mumbai in December 2026. A Kuwait service is planned from January 2027, subject to regulatory approval, and its existing Oman flights are also set to move. In all, six West Asia destinations are in its plan: Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah.
IndiGo plans to begin international flights from Navi Mumbai in February 2027 and move 12 daily international departures between February and July. The destinations include Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta, along with a new daily flight to Kathmandu. It will also move the domestic flights that feed these routes, so passengers can connect at the new airport.
Why it is happening
Mumbai’s main airport is short on capacity, and the planned redevelopment of Terminal 1 will reduce it further for a while. Moving some flights to Navi Mumbai frees space during the work. The phased plan replaces a faster relocation that the airport operator had proposed for this winter, which airlines opposed because the winter schedule had already been approved and tickets sold.
What it means for travellers
The two airports are about 45 km apart, and a metro link between them is not expected for several years, so allow extra time if your flight moves. Charges may differ too: reports put the passenger fees at Navi Mumbai at about ₹1,225, against about ₹615 at the current airport, though the final user development fee is still for the aviation ministry to decide.
Final schedules have not been published, and both plans are subject to approvals. If you have already booked a flight on one of these routes for next year, check your booking closer to the date for any change of airport, and look at the departure airport carefully when you book new tickets. If you are flying to the Gulf in the meantime, our guide to current Saudi flight cancellations may help.