Mumbai Airport News: Foreign Airlines, Adani Deadlocked Over Shift
Mumbai Airport News
Foreign airlines and Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) have failed to reach an agreement on shifting international flights from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).
A meeting between Adani Airports and foreign airlines on Wednesday ended without a resolution, prolonging the dispute over the proposed flight transfer.
AAHL, which operates both airports, has proposed moving some international services to Navi Mumbai to accommodate the planned redevelopment of Mumbai airport’s 60-year-old Terminal 1 building. The operator initially proposed shifting around one-third of international flights in August.
The disagreement escalated in early October when airlines were asked to transfer 265 of Mumbai airport’s 770 weekly international departures to Navi Mumbai by October 25. The Civil Aviation Ministry subsequently asked Adani Airports to suspend the plan pending consultations with all stakeholders.
Foreign airlines have raised concerns over the short implementation timeline, limited consultation, operational challenges and higher user development fees at Navi Mumbai airport. The airport’s fees are reportedly around 3.5 times those at Mumbai airport. Adani Airports has offered passenger vouchers to offset the additional cost.
Emirates has also questioned Navi Mumbai airport’s readiness, citing infrastructure gaps and concerns about passenger access. A proposed metro connection between the two airports is still several years away.
The deadlock primarily involves foreign carriers, while Indian airlines have announced plans to shift some international operations. IndiGo and the Air India Group have outlined plans to move around one-third of their international flights to Navi Mumbai between January and next summer. Akasa Air has also announced plans to transfer its Mumbai-Jeddah flights in December.
Adani Airports has asked foreign airlines to submit their transition plans by November 3. However, the latest meeting ended without an agreement, leaving the proposed transfer of international flights unresolved.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
