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The Navi Mumbai airport will continue expanding over the next decade, with new terminal buildings and infrastructure development.
Navi Mumbai’s airport is set to overtake Mumbai airport as MMR’s primary hub.(Photo: Travel News)
As the Navi Mumbai airport prepares to open in late May, passengers will soon have to decide whether to stick with the current Mumbai airport or opt for the new facility.
However, this choice may become less significant within the next decade, as the Navi Mumbai airport is projected to overtake the Mumbai airport as the region’s primary hub by the early 2030s.
For now, only around 20 percent of the 55 million passengers currently handled by Mumbai airport will head to Navi Mumbai this winter, as per TOI.
Of the 15 million passengers flying from Terminal 1 (T1) at Santacruz (East), around 10 million will switch to Navi Mumbai’s T1 by October. To manage this shift, Mumbai’s Terminal 2 (T2) will expand its capacity to 45 million passengers.
Currently, all flights—domestic and international—land on a single operational runway at Mumbai airport. As flights shift, air traffic congestion is expected to ease, reducing delays and improving on-time performance. Most private and charter flights will also relocate to Navi Mumbai in the coming months, freeing up more space at Mumbai airport.
In 2024, Mumbai’s airport handled 55 million passengers, but by mid-2026, Navi Mumbai’s T1 is expected to handle 20 million, with a capacity of 55,000 passengers per day. This will likely be the fastest terminal saturation for a greenfield airport.
By 2029, Navi Mumbai’s T2, with a capacity of 30 million, will be ready. During this time, both Mumbai T2 and Navi Mumbai T1 will expand to accommodate the growing passenger numbers.
By 2030, both airports are expected to handle 50-55 million passengers each, but as Navi Mumbai continues to expand, it will become the dominant airport by 2032. With Terminal 3 opening in 2032 and Terminal 4 in 2036, Navi Mumbai’s capacity will reach 90 million passengers, surpassing Mumbai airport’s ability to expand due to space limitations.