BOM Update: Airlines Face October 6 Deadline to Give Up 265 Weekly International Departures

MUMBAI, October 5, 2026 — Update to our October 1 story. Airlines have until 4:00 p.m. India time on Tuesday, October 6, to tell Mumbai’s airport operator which international flights they will give up at Mumbai (BOM). The operator wants 265 of the 770 weekly international departures gone from Terminal 2 on the night of October 25. Airlines are resisting, and which flights go is still TBA.

What changed since October 1

Our October 1 story said the operator, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), wanted about a third of international flights moved to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI), with the airline-by-airline list TBA. The numbers and the deadline are now public.

The cut: 265 of 770 weekly international departures from Terminal 2, or 34.4%. That is about 38 departures a day.
Airlines affected: 46.
Deadline: 4:00 p.m. IST on Tuesday, October 6, for each airline to name the slots it will drop.
If an airline does not answer: MIAL says it will pick the slots itself.
Effective: the night of October 25 to 26. FL360aero gives 23:59 on October 25, and Business Standard gives 00:01 on October 26.
Airline response: carriers including IndiGo, Air India, Akasa Air, Air India Express, SpiceJet, Emirates and Etihad are resisting, Whalesbook reports. The airline body IATA has called the plan a “forced relocation”.
Mediation: Whalesbook reports a government-mediated meeting on October 6. We found no second source for that. Outcome: TBA.
Incentives: a 100% landing-fee discount for new international flights at NMI, plus passenger vouchers to offset the difference in airport fees.

Weekly international departures to be cut

Airline	Departures cut	Current weekly total
IndiGo	74	224
Air India	33	100
Akasa Air	11	32
Emirates	10	28
Etihad Airways	10	28
Air India Express	7	21
British Airways	7	21
SpiceJet, Singapore Airlines, Kuwait Airways and others	5 each	Not published

Figures are from Business Standard and Travelers Today. The specific flights and routes: TBA until after the October 6 deadline.

Terminal 1 dates are less clear than first reported

We wrote on October 1 that Terminal 1 closes to all operations by October 25. Time Out Mumbai reported on October 5 that the Terminal 1 shutdown begins on January 15, 2027, with about a third of its traffic moving to Terminal 2 from October 25 and a third to Navi Mumbai. Treat the last day of flights at Terminal 1 as TBA and check with your airline.

What it means for non-revs

From October 26, expect fewer international seats at BOM. A third fewer departures on the same demand means tighter standby on the flights that stay, on Indian carriers and on the Gulf and European airlines in the table.
Re-check any Mumbai listing dated October 26 or later after the deadline passes. Your flight could be cancelled, retimed or moved to Navi Mumbai once the slots are named.
Check the airport code every time. NMI is about 46 km from BOM, and the transfer can take more than an hour. A same-day connection between the two is two separate trips.
The plan could still change. Airlines are resisting and a mediation meeting is reported for the deadline day. Do not rebook on rumour. Wait for your airline’s schedule change.
Terminal 2 will be busier. Domestic flights are moving in from Terminal 1. Allow extra time for check-in and security.