Airport Hub · BOM · Mumbai, India
Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji (BOM): The Complete Layover Guide
How good is it? A hard airport to love on a layover. T2 is genuinely impressive as a building, but transfers are slow, free seating is scarce, and the terminal entry rules surprise first timers.
Best lounge option: the Adani Loyalty Lounge in T2 international departures runs 24 hours with showers if your program opens it. The more reliable comfort buy is the Niranta Transit Hotel, with rooms airside in T2.
The one thing to know: you cannot enter an Indian terminal without a ticket and ID, and entry opens only 4 hours before departure. Plan landside waits somewhere else.
Quick facts
Mumbai at a glance
| Terminals | T1 (domestic: IndiGo, SpiceJet, Akasa) and T2 (all international plus Air India domestic) |
|---|---|
| Airside transit between terminals | No. About 4 km apart; free shuttle every 20 minutes, 15 to 20 minute ride |
| Free wifi | Yes, FreeWiFiByAirport, 30 minutes free; foreign SIMs need a code from the information desk |
| Sleep friendliness | Poor. Open 24 hours but limited free seating; transit hotel fills the gap |
| Lounges | 6+ verified across T1 and T2; Priority Pass acceptance inconsistent in 2026 |
| In terminal hotel | Niranta Airport Transit Hotel, T2, with both landside and airside wings |
Orientation
How Mumbai airport works
BOM rewards passengers who know the rules and punishes those who improvise. Learn three things before you land: the entry rules, the shuttle, and the wifi workaround.
Two terminals, about 4 kilometers apart by road. T1 at Santacruz handles domestic flights on IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa. T2 at Sahar takes every international flight plus Air India domestic. There is no airside link between them; the free shuttle runs roughly every 20 minutes and takes 15 to 20 minutes, but the real cost of a cross terminal transfer is everything around it. An international arrival connecting to a T1 domestic flight clears immigration, collects bags, passes customs, shuttles across, and checks in again. Three to 4 hours is the honest minimum.
Indian airports run a two step security model that catches visitors out. Before you ever reach check in, CISF officers at the terminal door check your ticket and photo ID, and entry is generally allowed only from 4 hours before departure. Standard airside screening follows inside. Arrival immigration averaged about 59 minutes in spring 2026 data, with the 6am to 9am and 4pm to 7pm banks the worst, so pad connections that depend on it.
The wifi quirk is its own little trap. The free network sends a login code by SMS, which foreign numbers frequently never receive. The fix: go to the information desk, open 24 hours, with passport and boarding pass and ask for a printed access code. Do it on arrival rather than at your gate.
Plan your hours
Your BOM layover, by goal
BOM layover guide, hour by hour
Plans for 3, 5, and 8 hours and overnight at Mumbai, with the honest math on whether the city is reachable through the traffic.
Every lounge at Mumbai
The Adani lounges, Travel Club, and the rest, with terminals, hours, and which access programs actually work in 2026.
Sleeping at Mumbai Airport
The Niranta Transit Hotel on both sides of immigration, sleeping pods at Aviserv, and the realistic word on benches in T2.
Priority Pass at BOM
Acceptance here has been inconsistent since the lounge operator changed. What field reports say works, what does not, and how to check before you fly.
BOM connections and transit
Minimum connection times, the T2 to T1 shuttle, and why international to domestic needs 3 to 4 hours at Mumbai.
Leaving the airport
Mumbai in a few hours
The new Metro Line 3 changed this calculation. Both terminals have stations, and the line runs underground to BKC, Churchgate, CSMT, and Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, about 54 minutes end to end for 10 to 80 rupees. It is the first reliably timed route into a city where road traffic can double any estimate. By prepaid taxi, Bandra is 350 to 500 rupees and 15 to 60 minutes depending on the hour; Colaba runs 700 to 900 rupees and anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.
Leaving the airport requires a valid India visa or eVisa for most nationalities, even for a short excursion, while staying airside on a connection under 24 hours generally does not. Verify before travel. Given immigration both ways plus the 4 hour terminal entry rule, do not attempt a city run on anything under 6 to 7 hours.
Comfort
Lounges and rest, the short version
The lounges here changed hands when Adani took over the airport, and access programs are still catching up. The Adani Lounge in T1B serves domestic departures around the clock with showers. T2 has two Adani rooms: the domestic lounge on level 3 near gate 65, which joined DragonPass in late 2025, and the Adani Loyalty Lounge for international departures on level 4 east wing near gate 45, open 24 hours with showers and a dedicated rest zone but limited to lounge membership programs. The Travel Club on level 3 serves domestic passengers without showers. Priority Pass is the sore point: field reports through 2026 show the Adani branded lounges declining the card while some third party lounges accept it, so check the app for current BOM listings rather than trusting any list, including this one, the week you fly.
For sleep, the Niranta Airport Transit Hotel is the asset that saves a bad Mumbai layover. It has 23 rooms and two entrances: landside on level 1 of T2 arrivals, and airside on level 2 of international departures, reachable without clearing immigration. Rooms book in 4, 7, or 24 hour blocks from about 2,500 rupees, with dining and a spa running around the clock. The Aviserv Lounge landside in T2 arrivals adds sleeping pods at about 750 rupees an hour. Free seating airside concentrates near gates 45 and 67 to 78 in T2 and disappears fast on busy nights. The complete picture is in our guide to sleeping at Mumbai Airport (BOM).
FAQ
Mumbai layover questions
Can I switch from an international arrival at BOM T2 to a domestic flight at T1?
Yes, but you clear immigration, collect bags, pass customs, and ride the free shuttle, which takes 15 to 20 minutes and runs about every 20 minutes. Allow at least 3 to 4 hours for the whole move.
Do I need a visa for a layover at Mumbai Airport if I stay inside the terminal?
Most nationalities can stay airside without a visa for a connection under 24 hours, provided they do not cross immigration. Entering the city requires a valid India visa or eVisa. Rules vary by passport, so verify before travel.
Does Mumbai Airport wifi work with a foreign SIM card?
The OTP login often fails on foreign numbers. Take your passport and boarding pass to the information desk or a wifi kiosk for a printed access code, ideally as soon as you arrive.
Is it comfortable to sleep overnight at BOM?
Not really. Free seating in T2 is limited and floor sleeping near gates is common when it is busy. The Niranta Transit Hotel has rooms on both sides of immigration in T2, bookable in 4, 7, or 24 hour blocks, and is the option we would pay for.
Does Priority Pass work at Mumbai Airport?
Unevenly. Field reports through 2026 show the Adani branded lounges declining the card while some third party lounges accept it. Check the Priority Pass app for current BOM listings before relying on entry.
Check lounge access at BOM
Lounge access at Mumbai changed hands and changed rules. Compare what your cards and programs currently open before you queue.
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