Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM)
History, Facts and Overview

(Mumbai, India)

Aviation in the Mumbai region dates back as far as 1932, when mail planes used the Juhu air strip, less than 3 miles / 2 km from the actual site of the city's airport today. In 1940, Mumbai decided to find an alternative site and a spot was chosen at Santa Cruz and Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport was born. Used by the military during the war years, Mumbai Airport was managed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation from 1946 onwards and in 1958, a new terminal was opened.

In 1972, the operation of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) was taken over by the International Airports Authority of India and expansion plans were soon implemented over the next three decades. By the turn of the new millennium, the airport had grown to become the busiest in the whole of India.


Both the domestic and the international terminals at Mumbai International Airport offer extensive passenger and visitor facilities. These services include cashpoint machines, exchange desks and postal services throughout, while snack bars and restaurants provide sustenance, along with a series of vending machines. Duty-free shopping is also available, together with left luggage facilities in both terminals, medical services, quiet rooms, a Telecom centre, television screens and child care rooms.

Business centres and executive lounges are available at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport for the exclusive use of business-class passengers. Conference facilities are to be found at the nearby Leela Kempinski Hotel, with is less than 1 mile / 1.5 km away and can be reached in minutes.