Once a bustling heartbeat of Mumbai’s aviation industry during the 1960s and 70s, the sprawling Air India and Indian Airlines residential colony in Kalina is nearing its quiet end. For decades, these 185 acres served as a close-knit community for thousands of airline employees, but the landscape has shifted dramatically following the privatisation of Air India in 2022. After a long and emotionally taxing legal battle that reached the Supreme Court, the remaining residents have been granted a final extension until May 31, 2026, by the Adani-owned Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) to allow families to finish the academic year.

What was once a vibrant neighborhood of over 100 buildings has transformed into a haunting, deserted landscape of crumbling structures. This closure is part of a larger nationwide transition as the legacy of state-run aviation assets is repurposed. While the Maharashtra government moves to acquire the iconic Air India building in Nariman Point for its own administrative use, similar redevelopment plans are underway in Delhi. The NBCC is set to overhaul the former Air India Colony in Vasant Vihar, marking the definitive closing of a chapter for the workers who once fueled the nation’s skies.