IndiGo to shift 12 international routes to Navi Mumbai by July 2027

India’s aviation sector is preparing for a major shift as Mumbai expands its airport infrastructure to meet rising passenger demand.

IndiGo will begin international operations from Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) in February 2027, gradually moving 12 daily international departures from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).

The transition will continue until July 2027, according to a joint announcement by IndiGo and Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL).

As part of the plan, IndiGo will transfer existing international services covering 11 destinations. These include Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta.

Additionally, the airline will introduce a daily service to Kathmandu. This will expand its international network at NMIA to 12 destinations.

IndiGo will also shift selected domestic flights to the new airport, helping passengers connect between domestic and international services.

However, the airline has yet to announce the exact dates for individual route transfers. It will confirm the schedule after completing operational coordination and obtaining the necessary approvals.

Meanwhile, Air India Express is also preparing to expand operations at NMIA. The airline plans to launch four daily domestic flights in December 2026.

Furthermore, it expects to start international services to Oman and Kuwait in January 2027, subject to regulatory approvals for Kuwait operations.

The airport transition comes as Mumbai prepares to redevelop CSMIA’s Terminal 1 by 2030. Moving selected flights to NMIA will ease capacity pressures at the existing airport and create room for infrastructure upgrades.

It will also help accommodate operational restrictions during the redevelopment.

For IndiGo, the shift could create opportunities to introduce additional international routes across Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027.

The airline plans to support its expanding network with its Airbus A320, A321 and A321XLR fleet.

For passengers, the biggest change will be the departure airport. Travellers on affected routes must check their tickets carefully and confirm whether their flights operate from CSMIA or NMIA.

Ultimately, the phased transfer aims to improve capacity management, strengthen regional connectivity and establish Mumbai’s dual-airport system as a more efficient aviation hub.

Image Credit: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IndiGo_Airlines.jpg