Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 14: Mumbai airport will not reduce any international flight slots during the winter schedule, running from October 25 to the end of March, its operator said on Tuesday, bringing relief to passengers concerned about possible cancellations or shifts to Navi Mumbai airport.
The decision follows a standoff over a proposal to reduce international departures to accommodate domestic flights displaced by the planned redevelopment of Terminal 1 (T1), scheduled to begin in mid-January 2027. The proposal had raised concerns among airlines and passengers about disruptions to international services operating from Terminal 2 (T2).
A spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said airlines had agreed to support the T1 redevelopment, with traffic balancing to begin from the summer schedule instead. The summer schedule runs from around March 27 to October 31, 2027, meaning some international flights during that period could be cancelled or shifted to Navi Mumbai airport.
The decision was taken following a meeting between Mumbai airport's Airline Operators' Committee and Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), which operates both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports.
According to MIAL, AAHL director Jeet Adani and CEO Arun Bansal assured airlines that disruptions would be minimised and existing slot allocations respected. They also committed to retaining all international slots during the winter schedule.
A joint working group will prepare an implementation plan for the redevelopment of the ageing T1 terminal within two weeks. The terminal currently handles around 15 million domestic passengers annually.
MIAL said it would extend full support to airlines willing to shift operations to Navi Mumbai airport during the summer schedule. Representatives will meet again on October 28 and hold discussions with individual airlines' network and slot management teams. However, no revised timeline has been announced for the phased demolition of T1.
The dispute followed a letter issued by MIAL on October 1 proposing a temporary reduction of 265 out of 770 weekly international departure slots from October 25. The proposed cuts would have affected 46 Indian and foreign airlines and eliminated around 38 international departures daily.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation intervened in the matter on October 3, following concerns over the potential impact on airline operations and passengers.