It was one of the most vibrant hubs in Mumbai’s western suburbs in the 1960s and 1970s — a sprawling residential colony, with compact apartments, access to good facilities, and home to thousands of employees of India’s two dominant (then state-owned) airlines, Air India and Indian Airlines.
On Sunday, however, the fate of the few families left in the sprawling colonies, spread over 185 acres in Kalina, was finally sealed.
Four years after the privatisation of Air India in 2022, the unions and many of the airline’s staff fought in the courts — all the way up to the Supreme Court — demanding the right to stay in the quarters till retirement.
India’s apex court turned down their plea, but allowed them to stay till November 30, 2025. Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), owned by the Adani group, agreed to the few remaining residents’ request to stay till the end of the academic year, ending May 31, 2026.
George Abraham, general secretary, Aviation Industry Employees Guild, which had fought against the eviction of the employees, told the media on Sunday that the few people remaining there were set to leave.
There were more than 100 buildings in the once vibrant colony, which has today become a deserted outpost with rundown buildings and hardly any residents.
In April 2026, the Maharashtra government initiated the process of acquiring the legendary Air India building in Nariman Point in Mumbai to accommodate its offices in different parts of the city. The government, which is acquiring the building for Rs16 billion (about Dh620 million), will get access to 45,000 sq m of office space close to its headquarters.
In Delhi, Indian government-owned NBCC Ltd, is planning redevelopment of the erstwhile Air India Colony in Vasant Vihar.
As in the Kalina, Mumbai, case, the matter went through a protracted legal battle before NBCC finally managed to win control of the complex. The Vasant Vihar complex had 810 three-storeyed housing units.
The prime south Delhi property, spread over 30 acres, is likely to be converted into a multistoried complex. NBCC is also planning to redevelop the 3.54 acre property at Connaught Place.
31/05/2026 Nithin Belle/Khaleej Times
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