Aviation ministry calls on authorities to defer plan for shifting international flights to Navi Mumbai Airport

Airlines raised concerns over the proposed shift, prompting the government to seek consultations and an agreed transition plan before operations move.

The ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) on Tuesday asked Mumbai airport owner Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) to defer by a few weeks its plan to shift international flight operations from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).

AAHL operates both airports. T1 handles domestic flights and T2 international ones, and that the international departure slots vacated at T2 will be used for domestic traffic moving out of T1. (Reuters)

Mumbai airport had planned to cut 265 weekly international flights from Terminal 2 (T2) starting October 25 to accommodate domestic traffic ahead of a phased redevelopment of Terminal 1 (T1). The airlines described the proposed relocation timelines as “unachievable”, persons aware of the matter said, citing that the airport owner had gone ahead with its decision without consulting the airlines.

The airport is roughly 35km away from the Mumbai airport, which is located in Mumbai’s Andheri area.

The direction came at a meeting chaired by civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha that was attended by representatives of IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air, besides the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA). The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global grouping of airlines, was also represented. The meeting was held to discuss the phased redevelopment of T1 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) and the transition of airline operations from CSMIA to NMIA.

AAHL operates both airports. T1 handles domestic flights and T2 international ones, and that the international departure slots vacated at T2 will be used for domestic traffic moving out of T1.

Forty six airlines operate 770 weekly international flights from T2, and Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) wrote to them earlier this month seeking a 33% cut in international departure slots from 11.59pm on October 25, the start of the winter schedule.

MIAL wrote to the airlines to respond with their plan till 4pm on October 6, else they would allocate the flights themselves that would be needed to move to Navi Mumbai, according to people aware of the matter.

People aware of the matter said the airlines and Adani Airports have been asked to submit a firm and agreed plan for shifting operations to NMIA. They said the government has also asked Mumbai airport to present a preparedness plan and hold consultations with airlines before finalising the transition.

An official said, “The civil aviation ministry has asked the airport operator to re-engage with all concerned stakeholders and airlines on the transition plan, with the objective of developing an agreed solution.”

“The ministry has ordered Adani Airports to ensure that stakeholder concerns and the final solution developed with stakeholders are submitted as part of the airport operator’s request for the ministry’s approval of the Major Development Plan (MDP) for the T1 redevelopment,” the official added. Approval of the MDP is one of the requirements under the airport concession agreement for Mumbai airport.

“The next consultation meeting will take place on October 13 to discuss the transition plan for shifting five million international passengers to NMIA from Mumbai airport,” a person aware of the matter said. “A meeting to discuss the final plan will be held on October 20,” he said.

AAHL, FIA and IATA did not comment on the development.

In an October 3 statement, AAHL said reconstruction of T1 is expected to begin in January 2027, adding the redevelopment would raise T1’s capacity by 33%, from 15 million to 20 million passengers a year.