Civil aviation ministry halts Mumbai airport plan to cut flights and shift to Navi Mumbai

The civil aviation ministry has stepped in to halt plans by the operator of Mumbai airport to abruptly slash international flights and push traffic toward the new Navi Mumbai airport.

The operator, Adani-backed Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), had proposed cutting international departure slots by about 33 per cent starting 25 October. The move would have wiped out 265 of the airport's 770 weekly international departures. MIAL argued the cuts were necessary to manage a phased redevelopment of Terminal 1.

But airlines rebelled, calling the timeline unachievable and protesting that they had been left out of the planning process.

The backlash from global airlines

Following the outcry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents more than 360 airlines globally, warned against hasty capacity cuts.

"Any significant reduction in airport capacity or other measure impacting airline operations should be based on a transparent demand-capacity assessment, meaningful consultation with affected airlines, and sufficient time to develop workable transition arrangements," said Albert Tjoeng, head of corporate communications at IATA.

The lobby group urged stakeholders to use the delay to review capacity needs and find alternatives that protect passengers and preserve international connectivity for the Mumbai metropolitan region.

Government orders a reset

The government's intervention came during a high-level meeting chaired by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha. Officials from IndiGo, Air India, Akasa Air, the Airports Authority of India, and IATA all attended the session.

The ministry directed the airport operator to defer its current proposal and re-engage with the carriers. The next consultation meeting is scheduled for 13 October, with a follow-up on 20 October to discuss a collaborative transition plan.

IATA welcomed the decision, thanking the ministry for forcing the operator to go back to the drawing board.

What happens next

The upgrade of Terminal 1 is not scheduled to begin until January 2027. Once completed, the redevelopment is expected to boost the terminal's annual capacity from 15 million to 20 million passengers.

In the meantime, preparations at the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport are continuing. The new site is ramping up its landside services ahead of its eventual opening, recently announcing a multimodal transport network of buses, taxis, and shuttles, alongside an 80-room transit hotel called Swirl to accommodate future travellers.