New Delhi: Adani Group-operated Mumbai airport will start demolishing a part of Terminal 1 (T1) from Jan 15, 2027, and has commenced redistribution of air traffic to Terminal 2 (T2) and Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), according to a recent letter.Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) operates Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, which currently has a capacity of over 50 million and handles over 950 flight movements daily.T1 is nearly 80 years old and some part of it has already been demolished. T1 and T2 have capacities to handle around 15 million passengers and 40 million passengers, respectively.MIAL’s chief airport officer Vishnu Mohan Jha said in a letter to civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha on Aug 13 that the operator plans to begin “demolition of the north section of Terminal 1-B, starting Jan 15, 2027” as part of phase 1 of the terminal’s redevelopment plan “to ensure minimal impact on airline operations and passenger convenience”.As part of the plan, at least a third of all international air traffic movements will be shifted to NMIA from Oct 1. Subsequently, at least one-third of all air traffic movements at T1 will be moved to T2 from Oct 25. MIAL said after providing transition assistance to airlines for around three-and-a-half months, the demolition work will begin.The airport operator has already initiated steps for the operational realignment, under which Akasa Air relocated its domestic operations from T1 to T2 from Aug 1.MIAL told the ministry that it is engaging with domestic and international airlines on the partial movement of their flights from T2 to NMIA and from T1 to T2.MIAL requested the ministry to consider setting up a joint transition group, chaired by the civil aviation secretary, to ensure effective coordination with key stakeholders and minimal inconvenience to passengers. PTI
