Mumbai Airport News: Shift of 265 International Flights to Navi Mumbai Put on Hold
Mumbai Airport News
The proposed plan to shift 265 weekly international flights from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai International Airport has been put on hold for now. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has asked Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) to defer its current transition plan and first consult all stakeholders.
The plan was linked to the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. MIAL had proposed moving 265 of the 770 weekly international flights operating from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai from October 25.
The decision to defer the plan was taken during a meeting in Delhi involving MoCA, MIAL, Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) and airlines. Both MIAL and NMIAL are controlled by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL).
Under the new process, MIAL will organise a meeting with airlines and other stakeholders to prepare a mutually agreed transition plan. The revised plan will then have to receive the necessary regulatory approvals.
Airlines had raised concerns about the basis for shifting around 33% of international services from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai. MIAL had earlier asked airlines to submit their transition plans by October 6 and indicated that it could move ahead with the proposed changes if airlines did not provide their inputs.
According to MIAL, the proposed shift is connected to the redevelopment of Terminal 1. Around 5 million domestic passengers every year currently use Terminal 1, and these passengers will need to be moved to Terminal 2 during the redevelopment.
Since all international flights at Mumbai airport currently operate from Terminal 2, MIAL said some international services would need to be moved to Navi Mumbai to create additional capacity for domestic operations.
The stakeholder meeting and the agreed transition plan will form part of the Major Development Plan (MDP) approval process. MoCA will consider the broader development and operational changes under the MDP.
The latest decision means the earlier October 25 transition plan will not proceed in its current form. MIAL must first work with airlines and other stakeholders to reach an agreement before taking the plan forward for regulatory approval.
AAHL has also offered incentives to encourage international airlines to shift operations to Navi Mumbai. Further details of the revised transition plan are expected after consultations with the stakeholders.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
