Aviation Ministry to Discuss Mumbai Airport Flight Shift
The discussions come ahead of the planned redevelopment of Mumbai airport’s Terminal 1, scheduled to begin in January 2027. Airlines have been asked to discontinue one-third of their international operations from October 25 or move those services to Navi Mumbai. Both airports are operated by Adani Airport Holdings.
Mumbai International Airport operator MIAL has asked 46 airlines to reduce international departure slots at Terminal 2 by 33 per cent from 11.59 pm on October 25, which marks the start of the winter schedule. The airport currently handles 770 weekly international flights, of which 265 services are due to be temporarily discontinued. The released slots will support the transfer of domestic operations from Terminal 1.
Adani Airport Holdings has said the north section of Terminal 1B, accounting for about one-third of the terminal’s capacity, will be demolished in the first phase. The redevelopment is intended to raise Terminal 1’s capacity from 15 mn passengers annually to 20 mn, while around 91 per cent of Mumbai airport’s passenger traffic is expected to remain unaffected.
The International Air Transport Association has opposed a mandated relocation, seeking the ministry’s intervention and arguing that airlines should retain established slot entitlements. It has supported Navi Mumbai’s long-term development but said decisions should be based on market forces and airline choice.
The airport group has said consultations with airlines have been under way since 2020 and that the redevelopment was included in the approved tariff framework. The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority has waived landing charges for international flights at Navi Mumbai for one year, while the airport group plans to offer vouchers to offset differences in user development fees.