In the first eight months of this year, the UAE was responsible for nearly 30% of arrivals at Mumbai airport, highlighting the robust connection between the UAE and India’s financial hub.
Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) reveals that out of more than 5 million arrivals at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), the UAE was the top source, contributing 1.5 million passengers from January to August 2025.
Most UAE and Indian airlines, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air India, Air India Express, and Indigo, offer multiple weekly direct flights between the nations, mainly from Dubai International Airport (DXB), Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport, and Sharjah International Airport. CSMIA provides direct connections to 55 international locations, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, among other Gulf destinations.
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CSMIA’s expanding network is evident in the addition of seven new international routes from April 2024 to 2025, connecting Mumbai with Al Fujairah, Tashkent, Krabi, Almaty, Amman, Manchester, and Tbilisi.
Following the UAE, England and Thailand registered 0.38 million and 0.32 million international arrivals, respectively, in the first eight months.
Mumbai’s second airport, Navi Mumbai International Airport, opening on September 30, will further boost traffic between the UAE and India, initially accommodating 20 million passengers annually.
Over the past three years, international arrivals at Mumbai airport have seen a 21% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).
From January to August 2025, arrivals increased to over 5 million, compared to 4.8 million in the same period in 2024 and 4.1 million in 2023.
Between August 2024 and August 2025, the airport welcomed 8.24 million international passengers. January 2025 was notable with 0.69 million arrivals, a 415% rise compared to January 2022, when travel was recovering post-Covid.
