Aaditya Thackeray questions Mumbai Airport T1 redevelopment, asks Union minister to 'step in and speak up'

Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aaditya Thackeray raised questions over the proposed redevelopment of Terminal 1 T1 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai urging the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to intervene in the matterThe former Maharashtra Minister in a post on X called on the Union Minister for Civil Aviation to ldquostep in and speak uprdquo on the issueAaditya also opposed any move that would require airlines and passengers to shift operations from Mumbai Airports T1 to DB Patil International Airport in Navi Mumbai during the redevelopment processAaditya Thackeray wrote ldquoOur demand is simple Repairrefurbishrebuild the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International AirportT1 without forcing airlines and passengers to move to DB Patil International AirportNavi MumbairdquoThe Union Regimersquos Minister for Civil Aviation must step in and speak up on the Mumbai Airport T1 issue now Our demand is simple Repair refurbish rebuild the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport T1 without forcing airlines and passengers to move to DB Patil International Airport Navi Mumbai The current T1 was built not too long ago and whatever upgrade is needed can and must happen without the aim of hassling and fleecing Mumbaikars and those transiting through Mumbai After the management was made to change hands one anyway sees chaos in crowd management and commercialisation of almost every little thing at the airport now even parking charges per hour are astronomical Fleecing is on anyway And now the forced shift to Navi Mumbai with or without any ground connectivity is still only a way to shut down T1 for 4 years as first claimed by the owner and then possibly totally shift things to navi mumbai and finish off Mumbairsquos connect and ease of connect with the world The current chaos is only leading to disrepute of our city and its airport globally Navi Mumbai is an additional airport not a makeshift airport The question arises again who is it being done formdash Aaditya Thackeray AUThackeray October 7 2026Thackeray questions need for prolonged shutdownRaising questions about the shutdown of T1 the Shiv Sena UBT leader questioned the need to shut down the existing T1 for an extended period He also argued that the terminal was built relatively recently and that necessary upgrades should be carried out without causing inconvenience to passengers travelling through MumbaiHe alleged that the proposed shift could ldquohassle and fleecerdquo Mumbaikars and passengers transiting through the cityThe Shiv Sena UBT leader also criticised what he described as increasing commercialisation and crowdmanagement problems at Mumbai Airport following a change in managementldquoAfter the management was made to change hands one anyway sees chaos in crowd management and commercialisation of almost every little thing at the airport nowrdquo he said while also alleging that parking charges had become ldquoastronomicalrdquoAaditya Thackeray highlights public inconvenienceThackeray further questioned the proposal to move airport operations to Navi Mumbai particularly in the absence of adequate ground connectivityHe claimed that the proposed shift could effectively result in T1 being shut for four years and raised concerns that the temporary arrangement could eventually lead to a larger shift of operations to Navi MumbaiAccording to Thackeray such a development could affect Mumbais connectivity with the rest of the world and create further inconvenience for passengersHe also criticised the current situation at Mumbai Airport saying that the ongoing chaos was bringing disrepute to both the city and its airport internationallyThackeray says Navi Mumbai is an additional airport not a makeshift airportThackeray stressed that Navi Mumbai Airport should function as an additional airport for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region rather than being treated as a makeshift replacement for Mumbai Airport during the T1 redevelopmentldquoNavi Mumbai is an additional airport not a makeshift airportrdquo he wrote on XAaditya Thackeray also questioned the rationale behind the proposed arrangements askingldquoThe question arises again who is it being done forrdquo