Mumbai: Akasa Air will shift its Jeddah flights from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from December 15, likely becoming the first airline to undergo the transition to make way for the redevelopment of Mumbai Airport's Terminal-1. The carrier will operate a twice-daily flight to Jeddah and will become the second commercial passenger airline to operate from NMIA.
The new route will be operated as per the earlier announcement made by the carrier and the airport operator's parent firm – Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. – on October 27. Akasa Air was among the first airlines, along with IndiGo and Air India Express, to announce the transition of its Jeddah flights.
Twice-Daily Jeddah Flight Schedule
The carrier will deploy its 197-seater Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for the twice-daily flights from NMIA to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. The inaugural flight on December 15 will depart NMIA at 4.45 am and the return flight will arrive at 7.35 am. The second flight will depart for Jeddah at 5.25 pm and reach back NMIA at 5.25 am.
Notably, Akasa Air will become the second international commercial passenger airliner from NMIA after Air India Express, which started three weekly Abu Dhabi flights from July 15.
Terminal-1 Redevelopment Drives Airline Shift
The push to shift domestic and international capacity stems from an ambitious plan by the airport operator to demolish and completely redevelop CSMIA's 60-year-old Terminal-1. To execute the plan, the operator aims to shift 5 million passengers, including domestic and international, from Mumbai to NMIA.
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Indian carriers have aligned with the shift, committing to transition roughly 3 million passengers. This includes IndiGo's phased migration between February and July 2027, shifting all 12 of its international services alongside a proportional slice of its domestic network. Air India Express will also move its West Asia network and four daily domestic flights to NMIA in January 2027.
International Airlines Oppose Transition Proposal
However, the transition plan has hit a roadblock over the remaining 2 million passengers, which the airport plans to shift through international airlines, which have disagreed with the proposal.
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