Aviation India
30 August 2026
The Maharashtra government has revived a plan to clear slum settlements around Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), potentially opening up land that could allow the airport to expand its operational footprint by around 15%. The renewed initiative comes ahead of the planned demolition of part of Terminal 1, which is expected to create additional scope for redevelopment of the airport. The land around the airport is owned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and leased to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the airport operator.
The settlements, spread across parts of Kurla and Santacruz, have occupied around 275 acres of AAI land over several decades and have come close to the airport boundary. Their proximity to operational areas has raised longstanding security and flight-safety concerns. Under the revived proposal, eligible residents are expected to be rehabilitated in situ, rather than moved to distant locations. MMRDA is yet to prepare a formal proposal and plans to conduct a fresh survey, with earlier estimates putting the number of residents in the settlements at around 85,000-90,000...
