Mumbai Runway Closure Halts Flights For Six Hours Tomorrow

Published on Nov 19, 2025, 2:49 pm CST

7 min read

Key points

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will suspend all runway operations on November 20 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. IST for annual post monsoon maintenance
Both intersecting runways 09/27 and 14/32 will close completely, meaning no arrivals or departures and forcing airlines to retime flights into morning and evening peaks
Airport authorities issued a NOTAM and passenger advisories months in advance, and most schedules have already been adjusted in airline systems
Travelers booking last minute tickets around the closure window are seeing sharply higher fares on key domestic routes such as Mumbai to Delhi and other high demand cities
India remains under a Level 2, exercise increased caution, U.S. travel advisory driven by crime and terrorism concerns in some areas, not by aviation safety issues

Impact

Closure Window And Timing: Expect no flights in or out of Mumbai between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. IST on November 20, with heavier than usual traffic before and after the shutdown
Retimed Flights And Equipment: Most affected flights have been shifted into earlier or later slots, so check for new departure and arrival times, gate changes, or aircraft swaps
Connections And Misconnections: If you connect through Mumbai near the closure window, build extra buffer time or move to a different connection to avoid forced overnights
New Bookings And Fares: Last minute tickets around the shutdown are already more expensive on popular domestic routes, so consider alternate dates, times, or routings
Safety And Advisory Context: The closure is scheduled maintenance, not a security incident, and India's Level 2 advisory reflects general crime and terrorism risks rather than aviation infrastructure problems

Travelers using Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai on Thursday, November 20, face a six hour halt in flight operations while the airport conducts its annual post monsoon runway maintenance. Both intersecting runways will close from 1100 a.m. to 500 p.m. Indian Standard Time, with no arrivals or departures allowed, and airlines have already retimed many flights into the morning and evening peaks around the shutdown. The airport operator and local media stress that this is a pre planned safety exercise, not an emergency, but it will still affect connections, same day trips, and last minute bookings.

Mumbai Runway Closure And Maintenance Plan

Mumbai's airport operator has confirmed that both runway 09/27, the main runway, and runway 14/32, the cross runway, will be completely unavailable for six hours on November 20 while crews carry out surface inspections, repairs, and checks to lighting, markings, and drainage systems after the heavy monsoon season. Because the two runways intersect, any work at the crossing point forces the airport to shut both at the same time, which is why there is no option to run a reduced schedule on a single strip during the maintenance window.

The closure covers 1100 a.m. to 500 p.m. IST, a period that usually sees a dense bank of domestic departures to cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and regional centers, plus a mix of regional international arrivals and departures. Airport statements say a Notice to Airmen, NOTAM, went out roughly six months ago so that airlines, ground handlers, and air traffic control could rebuild their schedules around the gap and avoid same week chaos. In practical terms, that means many midday flights have already been moved into earlier morning or later evening slots, and some marginal services may be cancelled outright where retiming is not feasible.

The airport typically handles around 950 flight movements per day, making it India's second busiest hub after Delhi, so taking out a six hour block is a significant operational hit even when it is planned. Authorities argue that front loading the disruption into a single, well signposted window allows more predictable planning than repeated shorter closures, and they note that maintenance crews will focus on items that are difficult to inspect or repair while aircraft are moving, such as runway joints, lights, and drainage channels at crossing points.

Latest developments

In the run up to the closure, the airport has issued passenger advisories reminding travelers to check their flight status and allow extra time at the terminal on either side of the maintenance window. Several Indian outlets report that airlines have updated their systems so that most affected passengers should already see new departure and arrival times on their itineraries, although some last minute retimings are still possible as carriers fine tune aircraft rotations.

There are also signs of pricing pressure around the shutdown. Reporting from domestic media suggests that last minute one way fares on popular routes such as Mumbai to Delhi for travel on November 20 have jumped well above typical levels, with some evening departures pricing far higher than off peak days, and that one stop routings via other cities are being used to patch capacity gaps where nonstop slots no longer fit around the closure. Travelers looking to book same day travel on the 20th are therefore likely to face both limited choice and higher prices than usual.

India's overall security picture for U.S. travelers has not changed because of this event. The U.S. State Department currently rates India as Level 2, exercise increased caution, citing crime and terrorism in some areas, but the Mumbai runway closure itself is framed as a routine safety and infrastructure exercise rather than a response to any specific threat.

Analysis

For travelers already ticketed through Mumbai on November 20, the key risk is not that flights will suddenly stop operating, but that their original connection patterns may no longer exist. If you have a midday domestic connection through Mumbai, for example arriving late morning and departing early afternoon, there is a good chance your onward flight has been moved earlier into the morning or later into the evening to avoid the downtime. That can create long layovers, missed minimum connection times, or even forced overnights if the new combination no longer works.

Airlines usually handle this kind of planned disruption by rebooking customers onto the nearest available alternative that keeps them roughly within their original travel day. In many cases, systems will auto reissue new itineraries without a manual request, but that does not guarantee that the new timing will match your needs, or that every connection will preserve airport minimums. The safest strategy is to log into your airline app or booking site today, confirm your new times, and proactively move to a preferred option while there is still space, rather than waiting until you are already en route.

If you are flying into Mumbai for an international connection on another ticket, which is common for travelers piecing together separate domestic and long haul fares, the closure is a stronger warning sign. Any arrival that lands just before 1100 a.m. is vulnerable to weather or air traffic delays that could push it into the shutdown window and force a diversion or extended hold at the origin, while flights landing just after 500 p.m. can face congestion as the airport reopens and tries to clear a backlog. Building a wider buffer, for example a same day arrival that lands earlier in the morning, or even an overnight in Mumbai the day before, will lower the risk of missing a long haul leg that is not protected on the same ticket.

For new bookings, the pattern is clearer. If your dates are flexible, avoiding November 20 entirely is the simplest solution, particularly for short trips where losing half a day to schedule changes would matter more. If you must travel on that date, look for flights that depart Mumbai well before 1100 a.m. or after 700 p.m., when the airport should have had time to work through the reopening surge, and consider alternate routings that bypass Mumbai altogether, such as connecting through Delhi, Bengaluru, or Hyderabad. Those airports have parallel runway layouts, which allow maintenance on one runway while the other remains in use, reducing the risk of full shutdowns for similar work.

Background

Annual post monsoon runway maintenance is a standard feature of airport operations in regions with heavy seasonal rains. Prolonged exposure to water and heat can weaken surfaces, clog drainage, and damage lighting and signage, which all directly affect braking performance and runway visibility. International aviation rules expect airports to conduct detailed inspections and preventative repairs so that small cracks or drainage problems do not evolve into safety hazards. By clustering this work into a single well advertised window each year, Mumbai aims to keep its infrastructure aligned with global standards while giving airlines and travelers a predictable pattern they can plan around.

Final thoughts

This six hour Mumbai runway closure is inconvenient, but it is not a sign that flying to or through the city has suddenly become unsafe. It is a planned, concentrated maintenance window at one of India's busiest airports, where intersecting runways leave little room for partial closures and workarounds. Travelers who take the time today to confirm retimed flights, adjust tight connections, and build in a buffer around the 1100 a.m. to 500 p.m. IST shutdown should be able to keep their plans intact, even if terminals feel crowded before and after the pause. Treat this Mumbai runway closure as a reminder to double check itineraries that rely on single hub connections, especially when seasonal maintenance is on the calendar.