The legendary Terminal 1 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai will soon be demolished. Some parts of the airport have already been demolished. However, starting January 15, the T1-B section of the airport will commence demolition. The announcement was made by Mumbai International Airports Limited (MIAL), which operates the CSMIA. Here are all of the other important details that you would need to know about this particular update.
Mumbai Airport T1 To Be Demolished From Jan 15
In a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, the Chief Airport Officer of MIAL, Vishnu Mohan Jha, said that the demolition was scheduled to start from January 1, 2027. In the letter, he stated that phase 1 of the redevelopment plan will be limited to just section 1-B of the terminal.
This will be done to ensure minimal impact on airline operations. As of now, CSMIA operates around 950 flights per day and has a capacity of more than 50 million passengers. T1 has a capacity of 15 million passengers, and T2 has a capacity of 40 million passengers.
Also Read: Mumbai Airport Named Asia-Pacific’s Best For Departures In Major Regional Ranking
One-Third Of International Traffic To Be Moved To NMIA
As part of the plan, a significant chunk of air traffic will be diverted to T2 of CSMIA starting October 25. Additionally, one-third of the international air traffic will be moved to the newly unveiled Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from October 1.
The time given will allow flights to plan their move accordingly. Part of the relocation of air traffic has already commenced. From August 1, Akasa Air moved its domestic operations from T1 to T2.
While air traffic will be impacted, it is hoped that the advance notification will afford both airlines as well as the airport time to move operations without much inconvenience to the passengers.
Summing Up
The demolition of T1 is bound to be a bittersweet moment for Mumbaikars. The terminal is close to 80 years old, and many are nostalgic about it. The large-scale repairs required for the airport are also necessary. It is hoped that the transition of flights from T1 to T2 and the NMIA.
