Both of Mumbai's airports — Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International and the Navi Mumbai greenfield gateway — are now simultaneously congested, as freighter operators switch hubs between the two and throw cargo capacity out of balance.

The Loadstar reports that freighter flights relocating from one airport to the other have created bottlenecks at both facilities, with cargo handling capacity struggling to absorb aircraft repositioning that was meant to ease strain, not multiply it.

What is happening on the ground?

The core of the problem is hub-switching. Freighters that historically operated into Mumbai's main airport have begun moving to the newer facility, while other operators move in the opposite direction. The result is a double squeeze:

• Congestion at the established airport as remaining operations compete for slots and warehouse capacity
• Congestion at the new gateway as freighter traffic arrives faster than handling infrastructure and trucking connections can scale
• Rerouted cargo flows forcing forwarders to re-plan pickups, documentation and last-mile delivery across two sites

For airlines, the shift complicates slot planning and ground-handling contracts. For forwarders and shippers moving cargo through Mumbai — one of India's primary air freight gateways — the practical consequence is longer dwell times and less predictable transit as freighter capacity splits across two congested points rather than consolidating at one.

Why does hub-switching cause congestion at both ends?

Hub moves are rarely synchronized. Handling agents, trucking fleets, cool-chain facilities and customs resources at each airport are sized for the traffic they expected, not the traffic they get. When freighters shift hubs, the receiving airport inherits volumes it cannot yet process at full speed, while the origin airport loses scale efficiencies on the cargo that stays — pushing unit costs up and turnaround speeds down at both locations.

That dynamic is playing out across Mumbai's dual-airport system. What was designed as an overflow and distribution of capacity has, at least for now, produced congestion at both ends of the city's air cargo chain.

What does it mean for shippers and forwarders?

Until freighter flows stabilize, cargo interests routing through Mumbai should expect:

• Tighter freighter slot availability at both airports
• Extended warehouse dwell and slower build-up and break-down of pallets
• Possible rate pressure on outbound Indian air freight as effective freighter capacity is temporarily degraded
• A need to confirm, shipment by shipment, which Mumbai gateway each carrier is actually using

Forwarders with consolidated volumes face the added operational cost of split operations — two sets of handling relationships, two trucking legs, two sets of cut-off times.

What comes next?

The congestion underscores the awkward middle phase of Mumbai's two-airport era: capacity exists, but only if freighter traffic and ground infrastructure align. Carriers and handlers will be watching whether freighter hub allocations settle in the coming weeks; until they do, Mumbai's air cargo system is carrying its transition costs in the form of simultaneous congestion at both gateways.