If you fly IndiGo or Air India Express out of Mumbai, check your ticket closely next year. Both airlines now say they will move part of their Mumbai flying to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI), starting in December 2026.
The two plans came out on Oct. 25 in joint statements with Adani Airport Holdings, which runs both Mumbai airports. They follow weeks of pushback from airlines over Adani's earlier plan to shift a third of Mumbai's international flights. We covered that fight in Adani wanted a third of Mumbai's international flights moved to Navi Mumbai. Airlines said no. Now the two biggest Indian players have signed on.
What IndiGo is moving
IndiGo says it will start international flights from Navi Mumbai in February 2027, according to the IndiGo and Adani announcement. It will move 12 daily international departures from Mumbai's main airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International (BOM), in stages.
Adani says that covers all of IndiGo's current Mumbai flights to these 11 cities:
- Bahrain
- Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia
- Kuwait
- Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah in the UAE
- Muscat
- Dhaka
- Jakarta
IndiGo will also add a new daily flight from Navi Mumbai to Kathmandu. That brings it to 12 international destinations from the new airport between February and July 2027.
IndiGo will move some domestic flights too, so passengers can still connect between domestic and international flights at one airport. The airline says it will announce final dates once planning is done and operating approvals are in place. So there are no exact switch dates yet.
What Air India Express is moving
The Air India Group's plan starts sooner. Air India Express will run four daily domestic flights from Navi Mumbai from December 2026, according to the group's joint statement with Adani, published by Adani.
From January 2027, its existing Oman flights will move, and it plans new Kuwait flights from Navi Mumbai. The Kuwait part still needs approval. After that, Air India Express will move its flights to Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah in stages. The group expects to finish by the IATA Northern Summer 2027 season.
The statement covers Air India Express. It does not say that any full-service Air India flights will leave Mumbai's main airport.
Why this is happening
Adani plans to rebuild Terminal 1 at Mumbai's main airport, and it needs room while that work goes on. Adani says IndiGo's move will help with the capacity cuts needed to rebuild Terminal 1 by 2030. Any further changes to IndiGo's flights there will be handled in Terminal 2, the company says.
There is an upside for IndiGo. Moving these flights frees up space at the main airport, which IndiGo says it will use to launch new routes to Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027. Adani says those will use IndiGo's growing fleet of A320 and A321 jets, including the long-range A321XLR.
Air India's side gets something too. The group says the plan lets it keep its historic slots at the main Mumbai airport.
Not every airline is on board. The Airline Operators Committee, which represents airlines in Mumbai, has asked Adani for proof that the new airport has the capacity, Mint reports. Airlines and the airport are set to meet on Oct. 28, according to The Indian Express. Other airlines' plans are still unclear.
What it means for travelers
Check which airport your ticket says. Navi Mumbai and the main Mumbai airport are separate airports with separate drives, check-in and security. If you book an IndiGo flight to the Gulf, Dhaka or Jakarta for next spring, look for the airport code. Your old habits may send you to the wrong place.
Watch for schedule change emails. IndiGo has not set dates. Changes may show up as schedule changes on tickets you already hold.
Don't assume your lounge comes with you. Lounge Frog does not yet list any lounges at Navi Mumbai, and neither announcement mentions lounges. If you rely on a card or status for a lounge at the main airport, check what is open at Navi Mumbai before you go. The airport does have a transit hotel that rents rooms in four-hour blocks.
Terminal 2 at the main airport may get busier. Adani says more of IndiGo's flights may shift into Terminal 2 as Terminal 1 is rebuilt. You can see the lounges there on our Terminal 2 page.
Our take
This is a better plan than the one airlines fought earlier this month. It came from deals with the two airlines, not a deadline handed down. It also comes in stages, with real routes named. But travelers still lack the most useful detail: dates. Until IndiGo publishes them, anyone booking Gulf or Southeast Asia flights out of Mumbai for spring 2027 should double-check the airport before every trip.
