Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport sets record growth, digital leadership, best passenger experience in 2025

India's aviation sector is experiencing rapid expansion, driven by rising air travel demand, strong economic recovery and increasing global connectivity.

Yet, this growth is accompanied by challenges--capacity constraints, monsoon-related operational risks, digital transformation imperatives, sustainability pressures, and rising expectations for seamless travel.

Against this backdrop, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has positioned itself as India's most passenger-centric, digitally enabled and sustainability-driven airport, strengthening resilience, enhancing capacity, adopting next-generation technologies and setting global benchmarks in service excellence.

With investments in operational control systems, monsoon readiness, digital payments, sustainability leadership and cargo modernisation, CSMIA reaffirmed its commitment to safe, efficient and future-ready aviation for Mumbai and India.

CSMIA became the first airport in India and third in the world to achieve Level 5 ACI Customer Experience Accreditation. This is the highest global distinction awarded by Airports Council International (ACI) for service excellence.

CSMIA handled 55.12 million passengers 2024-25 -- highest ever. It handled 1.76 lakh passengers in a single day on November 29, 2025, surpassing the earlier record of 1.72 lakh.

It recorded 1,036 Air Traffic Movements (ATMs) recorded on November 21, 2025, breaking the 2023 record of 1,032 ATMs.

Strong Southeast Asia connectivity: About 2.51 million passengers travelled to Southeast Asia routes. Over 14,000 ATMs were recorded for these destinations, including 1,295 ATMs in December alone.

The new airline addition included Royal Jordanian Airlines launching nonstop flights to Mumbai.

In the cargo space, CSMIA recorded 17 per cent growth in international cargo over 2022-23; the highest-ever daily cargo tonnage of 204 metric tonnes (MT).

In the perishable goods side, 3,624 MT of mangoes were exported, a 9 per cent rise year-on-year, including premium Alphonso, Kesar, Chausa, Badami and Neelam varieties. According to CSMIA, London, Toronto and New York remained top destinations.

CSMIA commissioned a state-of-the-art, digital-first Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) enabling real-time situational awareness and proactive challenge mitigation.

It completed pre-monsoon and post-monsoon runway maintenance, strengthening resilience and safety.

CSMIA also received India's first Emirates Airbus A350 arrival.

On the digital initiatives front, it introduced cashless digital payments at the Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP) through Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Digital wallets, Debit/credit cards, and FASTag-enabled automatic deductions.

Among other feats, CSMIA was awarded 'Best Airport for Digitisation' at the India Cargo Awards 2025; it achieved ISO 19650-2 certification for excellence in design and construction; it powered by Building Information Modelling (BIM), reinforcing innovation and precision.

Over 60,000 man-hours of workforce training delivered in 2024-25, strengthening capability and safety culture. Frontline teams enabled major milestones--from runway readiness to cargo growth--despite seasonal constraints. CSMIA partnered with the Adani Foundation and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to support tuberculosis (TB) patients with nutritional assistance.

CSMIA's sustainability leadership continued to set national standards

Going ahead, CSMIA aims to strengthen capacity through advanced digital airside management and passenger flow optimisation; drive next-level sustainability, targeting further reductions in energy intensity and expanded green operations; accelerate multimodal connectivity for cargo and passenger seamlessness; expand digital touchpoints for a frictionless travel experience; and foster deeper community partnerships and workforce skilling. (ANI)