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India's Mumbai airport to halt all flights for 6 hours on May 7, here's why
The primary and secondary runways will be closed between 11am and 5pm (India time). The airport advised passengers to check flight status with their airlines
- PUBLISHED: Wed 6 May 2026, 3:19 PM
Flights at Mumbai international airport will be suspended for six hours on Thursday, May 7, 2026, as runways will be closed for pre-monsoon maintenance, it was announced on Wednesday.
The scheduled shutdown will be between 11am and 5pm as the primary and secondary runways will be closed to air traffic. It is part of the airport’s comprehensive monsoon contingency plan.
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The airport, one of the busiest single-runway operation hubs, manages more than 1,000 air traffic movements daily.
The airport advised passengers to check their flight status with their airline apps or with the official CSMIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) website for updates, as no landings or takeoffs will take place during these hours. It also asked airlines to adjust their schedules.
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Pre-monsoon maintenance shutdowns are done every year a few weeks before the onset of the southwest monsoons in Mumbai to ensure runway safety and smooth operations during the rainy season.
Similarly, a post-monsoon maintenance is undertaken in October-November, when runways are checked for degradation following the rains.
The airside infrastructure of Mumbai airport covers 1,033 acres. Experts inspect runway surfaces for wear and tear, and take preventive measures for safe landings and takeoffs during the heavy monsoon months.
The airport, located in the western suburbs, receives annual rainfall exceeding 2,500 mm between June and September.
The airport has a rainwater harvesting scheme where it collects more than 2.6 million litres of water through a smart terrace-based system during the four-month monsoon season.
The curved terrace surface of the airport ensures collection of rainwater, which is stored in underground tanks. While the first lot of rainwater with dust and other impurities is allowed to flow away, the rest is treated and used in washrooms in the terminals.
