A major reshuffle of international flight operations in Mumbai is set to take place as Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) plans to shift 265 of the city’s 770 weekly international departures to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from October 26.
MIAL has asked airlines to identify the international flights that will temporarily move to NMIA by October 25. The move is linked to the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport, which is scheduled to be demolished from January.
In a communication sent to airlines on Thursday, MIAL said a meeting was held on September 16 to support the transition. However, “a number of airlines chose not to participate”.
The airport operator also said “several airlines” did not submit their “transition plans” by the September 25 deadline. In the “absence” of the required information, MIAL said it would proceed using available airline operational data and “planning assumptions” related to the redevelopment of Terminal 1.
Both MIAL and Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) are controlled by the Adani group.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in a September 9 letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, described the proposed shift as a “forced relocation”. It asked the ministry to intervene, stating that the transition plan had not been developed in consultation with airlines.
MIAL said 265 international departures, or 34.4% of the weekly total, will be temporarily discontinued from Mumbai airport from October 26.
IndiGo will see the largest reduction, with 74 of its 224 weekly international departures affected. Air India will move 33 of its 100 departures, while Akasa Air will shift 11 of 32. Etihad Airways and Emirates will each move 10 of their 28 weekly departures.
MIAL has asked airlines to inform it in writing by 4 pm on October 6 about the specific slots or flights they plan to temporarily discontinue at Mumbai airport. A slot is a designated time window for a scheduled arrival or departure.
“If 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,” the operator said.
The shift will free up space at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2 for domestic flights currently operating from Terminal 1. MIAL expects this to support the movement of around 5 million domestic passengers annually to Terminal 2.
Air India Express and British Airways will each move 7 of their 21 weekly departures. SpiceJet, Singapore Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Thai Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Oman Air, Ethiopian Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Air Arabia, Lufthansa and Gulf Air will each move 5 of their 14 departures.
Kenya Airways, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines will each shift 4 of their 10 weekly departures, while Saudia will move 3 of its 8 departures.
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 shift 3 of their 7 weekly departures.
KLM will move 2 of its 6 flights. Flydubai and Egyptair will each move 2 of their 5 departures. Flynas and Thai Vietjet will each shift 2 of their 4 departures. Air Astana, Air Mauritius, Royal Jordanian, Nepal Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Uganda Airlines and Yemenia will each move 1 of their 2 to 3 weekly departures.
IATA, which represents more than 370 airlines across 120 countries, has raised concerns about the transition, citing potential operational, commercial and regulatory issues.
The association has also questioned whether NMIA has all facilities required for international operations, including ground handling, aircraft maintenance, catering, cargo services, crew transport and accommodation, regulatory approvals and passenger connectivity.
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