Santacruz Airport was built in 1942 to replace the city's former aviation base, the Juhu Aerodrome. To meet air traffic requirements, it was later expanded with an additional terminal at Andheri. Originally known as the Sahar International Airport, it was renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in honour of the famous Maratha king, in 1999, Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The CSI Airport has received numerous awards for its modern infrastructure and excellent passenger service, including the Vasundhara Award in 2015 for its role in environmental conservation and the Platinum A Design Award in 2015 for its architecture.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is a major aviation hub with connections to both domestic and international destinations. There are passenger flights to 47 Indian cities, including New Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Udaipur, and Rajkot. Domestic routes with the highest passenger traffic are Mumbai-New Delhi and Mumbai-Bengaluru.

In addition, the airport provides flights to 43 international destinations, including London, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Cairo, Singapore, and Paris. Mumbai to Dubai and Mumbai to Singapore are two popular international routes.