Terminal 1A of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), which has remained closed since 2016, will soon be demolished along with a defunct chiller plant and a temporary shed located on the premises. Officials said the cleared space will be utilised for airport expansion and related development activities.

According to sources, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the planning authority for the airport area, granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the demolition on September 24, 2025.

The terminal, inaugurated in 1992, was once used for domestic flights operated by the erstwhile Indian Airlines, which later merged with Air India. Though it lacked sufficient space for vehicle movement and parking, it housed VVIP rooms that hosted several high-profile meetings involving former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former UPA president Sonia Gandhi and prime minister Narendra Modi.

A former Air India employee noted that Terminal 1A was India’s first airport terminal to feature aerobridges. “It was considered state-of-the-art at the time, and many dignitaries preferred using it. In 2014, when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat and visited Mumbai to launch his election campaign, he received a grand welcome there,” the former employee said.

Following the 2006 suburban train blasts and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the terminal’s meeting rooms were used by officials to plan security strategies. Over time, however, the structure has deteriorated, with visible cracks emerging in several areas.

The CSMIA has also invited expressions of interest for the refurbishment of Terminal 1. However, the demolition of Terminal 1 will only take place after the completion of the next phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), expected around 2029–30, to prevent disruption to air traffic.

“Eventually, Terminal 1 will also be demolished to make way for a larger, modern structure,” an official added.