Travellers using Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport face a total shutdown of both intersecting runways on Thursday, 20 November 2025, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. IST while engineers undertake the annual post-monsoon maintenance programme .
Because the airport’s two runways cross each other, any work at their intersection halts all movements. Airlines were notified months in advance and have rescheduled most flights, but last-minute business travellers are seeing eye-watering walk-up fares: Mumbai-Delhi tickets for 24-hour purchase windows touched ₹25,000, and some trunk routes such as Mumbai–Patna showed no nonstop seats at all. Contrast this with airports that have parallel runways—Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad—which can keep partial operations running during similar works.
![Mumbai Airport to Close for Six Hours on 20 November, Fares Spike]()
The six-hour pause will involve resurfacing, lighting inspections and drainage checks designed to keep Mumbai’s 950-flight-a-day operation compliant with ICAO standards through the busy winter season. Ground handlers and cargo agents have been advised to adjust manpower rosters to avoid demurrage costs.
For mobility managers, the closure is a cautionary tale: Mumbai remains a single-airport metro until the new Navi Mumbai International Airport opens next month. Companies should remind travellers to build buffer time into itineraries this week, consider rail options for short-haul movements, and reconfirm any critical cargo shipments scheduled via BOM on 20 November.
Because the airport’s two runways cross each other, any work at their intersection halts all movements. Airlines were notified months in advance and have rescheduled most flights, but last-minute business travellers are seeing eye-watering walk-up fares: Mumbai-Delhi tickets for 24-hour purchase windows touched ₹25,000, and some trunk routes such as Mumbai–Patna showed no nonstop seats at all. Contrast this with airports that have parallel runways—Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad—which can keep partial operations running during similar works.
The six-hour pause will involve resurfacing, lighting inspections and drainage checks designed to keep Mumbai’s 950-flight-a-day operation compliant with ICAO standards through the busy winter season. Ground handlers and cargo agents have been advised to adjust manpower rosters to avoid demurrage costs.
For mobility managers, the closure is a cautionary tale: Mumbai remains a single-airport metro until the new Navi Mumbai International Airport opens next month. Companies should remind travellers to build buffer time into itineraries this week, consider rail options for short-haul movements, and reconfirm any critical cargo shipments scheduled via BOM on 20 November.
