Shift to Navi Mumbai Airport from Muscat: Higher costs for some travelers

Muscat: All flight operations from Muscat to Mumbai are likely to be moved to the new airport by the end of the second quarter of 2027.

It was reported that 12 airlines, operating around 16 daily departures to 14 destinations, have not been allocated slots at the existing airport for the upcoming summer schedule.

In a recent notification to India's Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the management of Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) stated that it plans to temporarily shift all flights serving these 14 international destinations to the Navi Mumbai International Airport.

MIAL explained that transferring flight operations is essential for the redevelopment and expansion of Terminal 1, a project set to continue until 2029.

'This will ensure that all flights from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to these international destinations operate out of a single airport rather than being split across two facilities in the same region. This approach will ensure seamless onward connections, minimize passenger inconvenience, and provide an integrated travel experience,' the notification stated.

The 14 affected destinations are Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait City, Madinah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh, and Sharjah.

The Observer earlier reported that two of India's largest airlines, IndiGo and Air India, have announced plans to shift international services to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which includes all their existing routes to Muscat, starting in early 2027.

IndiGo will transfer 12 daily international departures from the current Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to NMIA starting in February, affecting all present operations to Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka, and Jakarta.

Air India Group will also commence a phased transition of select domestic and West Asia services to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), including its existing services to Oman, beginning in January 2027.

With several transit and connectivity projects linking different parts of the city to the Navi Mumbai International Airport still in the development stages, the move may cause inconvenience for travelers—especially those from Mumbai's western and northern suburbs—who will have to spend significantly more on transportation (taxis and public transit) and spend several more hours on the road. It will also be tedious for passengers traveling from Muscat to Navi Mumbai International Airport who need to catch a connecting flight from Mumbai Airport (BOM), located nearly 50 km away.

'It will be an expensive proposition, with fuel prices in India currently very high, as travel costs could increase by over 50%. Travel time from many areas will also double, increasing from the current 1–1.5 hours to nearly 2–3 hours,' said some Muscat residents likely to be affected by the decision.

MIAL originally planned to implement the partial shift of international operations by October 25, but later deferred the deadline to March 2027 following concerns raised by several foreign airlines regarding the transition timeline.