India’s second-busiest international gateway, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai, will suspend all flight operations today, 7 May, from 11:00 to 17:00 IST while engineers carry out pre-monsoon runway maintenance . Both primary runway 09/27 and secondary runway 14/32 will be closed, affecting an average of 300 departures and arrivals in the six-hour window. Airport management says the annual inspection is essential before Mumbai’s heavy rains begin in June; technicians will resurface high-wear zones, clear rubber deposits, test drainage pumps and recalibrate approach-lighting equipment . Airlines ranging from domestic carriers IndiGo and Air India to long-haul operators Emirates, British Airways and Lufthansa have issued waivers for date changes and are proactively re-routing or retiming services.
![Mumbai Airport to shut both runways for six-hour maintenance on 7 May]()
Meanwhile, if these schedule changes force you to alter entry dates or switch to another Indian gateway, VisaHQ’s dedicated India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can expedite any required visa adjustments online, ensuring your documentation stays synchronized with your updated itinerary.
Travellers have been warned that disruption may spill over to flights scheduled immediately before and after the closure because of backlog and crew-duty limitations. Mobility and relocation teams with personnel transiting Mumbai are advising same-day travellers to check flight status, consider alternative hubs such as Delhi or Bengaluru for critical connections, and build extra lay-over time into itineraries. The shutdown underscores the operational fragility of single-hub itineraries in India’s monsoon belt. Multinational companies with time-sensitive cargo or assignee household goods routed through Mumbai’s air-freight terminal have likewise been told to expect delays through the weekend as freighter slots are reshuffled.
Meanwhile, if these schedule changes force you to alter entry dates or switch to another Indian gateway, VisaHQ’s dedicated India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can expedite any required visa adjustments online, ensuring your documentation stays synchronized with your updated itinerary.
Travellers have been warned that disruption may spill over to flights scheduled immediately before and after the closure because of backlog and crew-duty limitations. Mobility and relocation teams with personnel transiting Mumbai are advising same-day travellers to check flight status, consider alternative hubs such as Delhi or Bengaluru for critical connections, and build extra lay-over time into itineraries. The shutdown underscores the operational fragility of single-hub itineraries in India’s monsoon belt. Multinational companies with time-sensitive cargo or assignee household goods routed through Mumbai’s air-freight terminal have likewise been told to expect delays through the weekend as freighter slots are reshuffled.
