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IndiGo will have 74 of its 224 weekly international departures affected while Air India will relocate 33 of its 100 departures.
IMAGE: Navi Mumbai International Airport. Photograph: Adani Group/ANI Photo
Adani group-controlled Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has asked airlines to shift 265 out of a total 770 international weekly flights to the Navi Mumbai airport by October 25, citing the revamp of Terminal 1, whose demolition will begin in January 2027.
MIAL in its communication to all airlines on Thursday said a meeting was convened on September 16 to facilitate the shift.
However, ‘a number of airlines chose not to participate’.
It added that ‘several airlines’ did not respond to its request to submit their ‘transition plans’ by September 25.
In the ‘absence’ of the requisite information, MIAL said it has decided to proceed with shifting flights to the new airport on the basis of the ‘available operational data’ of airlines and ‘planning assumptions’ made regarding the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport.
Key Points
- MIAL has asked airlines to shift 265 of 770 weekly international flights to Navi Mumbai International Airport from October 25.
- The shift is linked to the redevelopment and planned demolition of Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport.
- IATA has raised operational, commercial and regulatory concerns over the transition and termed it ‘forced relocation’.
- Malta-headquartered logistics company Challenge group has temporarily suspended all cargo flight operations to and from the Mumbai region.
Mumbai Airport Terminal 1 Revamp
Business Standard has reviewed MIAL’s communication.
Both MIAL as well as Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) are controlled by the Adani group.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in its September 9 letter to the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA), had termed this shift to the new airport as ‘forced relocation’, Business Standard had reported.
It had asked the ministry to intervene as the transition plan was not devised in consultation with air carriers.
MAIL on Thursday said it plans to ‘temporarily discontinue’ 265, or 34.4 per cent, of the 770 weekly international departures from Mumbai airport, from October 26.
IndiGo Faces Largest Reduction
IndiGo will see the largest reduction in weekly international departures from Mumbai airport, with 74 of 224 departures set to be affected by the move, followed by Air India, which will relocate 33 out of 100 departures.
Akasa Air will see 11 of its 32 departures moved while Etihad Airways and Emirates will each relocate 10 of their 28 departures to NMIAL.
MIAL said airlines must inform it in writing by 4 pm on October 6 about the specific slots (or flights) that they plan to ‘temporarily discontinue’ at Mumbai airport.
A slot is basically a time window that an airline is allocated to use an airport terminal for a scheduled arrival or departure.
‘In the event that no response is received by the aforesaid deadline, MIAL shall determine the relevant slots [which will be discontinued] based on operational capacity and implementation considerations,’ it added.
Airlines Asked To Submit Plans
MIAL plans to shift around 265 international flights a week from Mumbai’s Terminal 2 to NMIA, and the space created at Terminal 2 will be used for domestic flights moving from Terminal 1.
This will help to accommodate around 5 million domestic passengers a year from Terminal 1.
‘With effect from 0001 hours on October 26, MIAL shall commence the allocation of vacated assets at Terminal 2 of the Mumbai airport — including but not limited to check-in counters, baggage belts, boarding gates and operational office space — to scheduled domestic operators in order to facilitate the transition of approximately 5 million passengers per annum of domestic traffic from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2,’ it noted.
According to MIAL, Air India Express and British Airways will each move seven of their 21 weekly departures from Mumbai airport, while SpiceJet, Singapore Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Thai Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Oman Air, Ethiopian Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Air Arabia, Lufthansa and Gulf Air will each relocate five of their 14 weekly departures.
Among other carriers, Kenya Airways, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines will each move four of their 10 weekly departures, while Saudia will relocate three of its eight departures to NMIA.
SWISS, Azerbaijan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Jazeera Airways, Batik Air Malaysia, Air France, VietJet, Turkish Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, SalamAir, Air Tanzania and Qatar Airways will each move three of their seven weekly departures.
KLM will relocate two of its six flights, while flydubai and Egyptair will each move two of their five departures.
Flynas will relocate two of its four departures, while Thai Vietjet will also move two of its four departures to NMIA.
The remaining smaller operators — Air Astana, Air Mauritius, Royal Jordanian, Nepal Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Uganda Airlines and Yemenia — will each move one of their two to three weekly departures, stated MIAL.
IATA Flags Forced Relocation
IATA, which has over 370 airline members from 120 nations, had in its September 9 letter to the MoCA flagged this shift for creating confusion among airlines and passengers, while raising operational, commercial and regulatory concerns.
The global airlines’ body also raised questions about whether the new airport has all the facilities required to handle international airline operations.
These include ground handling, aircraft maintenance, catering, cargo facilities, crew transport and accommodation, regulatory approvals and passenger connectivity.
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
