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 ).
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). 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.
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.
Approval of the MDP is one of the requirements under the airport concession agreement for Mumbai airport.
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.
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.
“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.
