T1 demolition not immediate, but will be timed with NMIA expansion

NMIA’s first phase is designed to handle up to 20 million passengers annually and the second phase will expand the capacity to 50 million.

Written by Naresh S

Updated: August 25, 2025 10:45 AM IST

T1’s eventual demolition is part of a broader redevelopment plan for the CSMIA site, which will enable the construction of new facilities enhancing passenger throughput and operational efficiency.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Terminal 1 (T1) will not be demolished immediately after the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) begins operations later this year. Instead, the older terminal’s closure and demolition will be coordinated with the commencement of operations at NMIA’s second terminal (T2), in order to avoid any loss of passenger-handling capacity, according to airport officials.

“We have already partly shut down T1 due to certain extension and safety issues, but we will delay the full demolition. We will time it with the start of Terminal 2 at Navi Mumbai. Temporarily, part of T1’s capacity is already unavailable because we can’t compromise on the structure’s safety. Some sections will remain closed permanently, and we will modify operations to keep the rest running,” said Arun Bansal the CEO of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd.

The decision to delay full demolition is driven by capacity constraints at Mumbai’s existing facilities. T1 handles about 10 million passengers annually, and officials say taking it offline before replacement capacity is available would risk recreating congestion and bottlenecks seen in recent years.

“If we shut down T1 before we have alternative capacity, we won’t be able to accommodate those passengers. Then we would face another four years of the same constraints we have been suffering for the past four-five years,” Bansal added.

NMIA’s first phase is designed to handle up to 20 million passengers annually and the second phase will expand the capacity to 50 million. Only once this second phase at NMIA is up, will T1 functions be fully absorbed, allowing demolition to proceed without impacting the total capacity.

T1’s eventual demolition is part of a broader redevelopment plan for the CSMIA site, which will enable the construction of new facilities enhancing passenger throughput and operational efficiency. However, project leaders cautioned that rebuilding T1 after demolition will involve years of work, including fit-outs, technology integration, testing, and approvals.

By phasing the demolition, officials said that they aim to maintain service quality for Mumbai air travellers during the transition to a dual-airport system.

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