Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has questioned the need to relocate flights to Navi Mumbai Airport and proposed a phased redevelopment of Mumbai International Airport’s Terminal 1 (T1). CM Fadnavis has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu opposing the proposed relocation of international flights from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to Navi Mumbai International Airport.
He suggested that the existing facility could remain operational until its replacement is ready to avoid disruption of flight services. He has proposed phased redevelopment of Terminal 1, allowing airport operations to continue while reconstruction proceeds.
His suggested sequence is to develop Terminal 1B first, transfer operations from Terminal 1A to the newly developed facility, and only then demolish the existing Terminal 1A building. Explaining his proposal, Fadnavis said: “I have written to the Ministry to develop Terminal 1B, shift operations from 1A to 1B and then demolish the existing 1A.”
The central principle of his recommendation is that replacement terminal capacity should be available before the existing facility is taken out of service. Rather than opposing redevelopment itself, the Chief Minister has questioned the need to relocate international flights as part of that process. His proposal seeks to separate the requirement for rebuilding airport infrastructure from the decision to move services to another airport.
The redevelopment of T1, commissioned in 1964, is being undertaken primarily to address structural and safety concerns flagged in audits conducted by Structwel in 2017 and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2024.
Mumbai airport operator Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) initially planned to implement the partial shifting of international operations from October 25 this year and later deferred the deadline till March 2027 following concerns raised by various foreign airlines about the transition plan.
Two weeks ago, representatives from more than 35 airlines and Mumbai airport officials discussed the transition plan for partially shifting international flights from the airport to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). Both sides had a constructive dialogue and MIAL presented detailed redevelopment schedules for T1, sources earlier said.
The new Terminal 1 at the CSMIA is expected to increase the terminal’s passenger-handling capacity from 15 million passengers per annum (MPPA) to 20 MPPA. It will also feature upgrades to passenger processing, security screening and other infrastructure, with the redeveloped facility targeted to become operational by March 2029.
Bureau Report
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