Jeet Adani Interview: Peak-Hour Mumbai Flights Likely to Shift to Navi Mumbai Airport

Mumbai’s aviation landscape is set for a major transition with the upcoming launch of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), scheduled to open on December 25. In an interview, Jeet Adani said that to ease congestion at Mumbai’s capacity-constrained Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), a few peak-hour flights are likely to be shifted to the new airport once operations begin.

Jeet Adani acknowledged that passengers flying from NMIA will initially face higher costs due to a significantly steeper User Development Fee (UDF) compared to Mumbai airport. Domestic and international travellers are expected to pay several hundred rupees more per ticket at NMIA in the initial phase. However, he stressed that the higher charges would be temporary.

According to Adani, work is already underway to introduce a unified tariff structure for both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports. “We have received in-principle approval from the regulator, and our effort is to bring parity between the two airports over time so that passengers are not burdened in the long run,” he said.

NMIA will begin operations with limited domestic flights, gradually scaling up to round-the-clock operations by February. International flight services are expected to commence in March. The phased rollout is aimed at ensuring operational stability while airlines and passengers adapt to the new airport.

The shift of select peak-hour flights to Navi Mumbai is being considered as a strategic move to decongest Mumbai’s single-runway airport, which is operating near full capacity. Aviation experts believe this redistribution of traffic will improve on-time performance and reduce delays during busy hours.

Looking ahead, Jeet Adani outlined a long-term vision for Mumbai’s airport infrastructure. Plans include expanding NMIA in phases to significantly boost capacity, while redevelopment of Mumbai airport’s Terminal 1 is expected to take place after 2030. The Adani Group also plans to invest heavily in airport-linked infrastructure, including hotels and commercial facilities, as part of its broader aviation and urban development strategy across India.

With NMIA poised to become a key aviation hub for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the coming months are expected to mark the beginning of a gradual but significant shift in air travel operations in the country’s financial capital.