Key Points
- MIAL plans to pull 265 of 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25, hitting 46 airlines; IndiGo loses 74 weekly departures and Air India 33.
- Airlines say the cuts strip flights from a winter schedule approved in June, after aircraft, crews, and ticket sales were committed, and have asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to intervene. A ministry meeting is set for Tuesday, the same day as MIAL’s deadline.
- Adani has offered Navi Mumbai, 45 kilometers away and open since December 2025, as the alternative with fee waivers. IATA has questioned its readiness for large international operations, and a direct Metro link isn’t expected until 2031.
Summary
Mumbai International Airport, part of the Adani Group, has told airlines it will temporarily remove 265 of Terminal 2’s 770 weekly international departure slots from 11:59 p.m. on October 25 — roughly a third of the total, affecting 46 carriers — to free up space for domestic flights displaced by the rebuild of the 1965-era Terminal 1. Airlines were given until 4 p.m. Tuesday to nominate which flights to drop, or MIAL says it will choose for them. IndiGo faces the largest cut at 74 weekly departures, followed by Air India with 33, Emirates and Etihad with 10 each, Akasa Air with 11, and Air India Express with seven. Airlines say they support the rebuild but not the loss of flights already approved in the June winter schedule, with aircraft, crews, and sold tickets behind them, and have asked the government to step in. The Civil Aviation Ministry has called a meeting of both sides on Tuesday, the same day as the deadline. MIAL has offered Navi Mumbai International Airport — also Adani-owned, 45 kilometers away, opened in December 2025 — as the alternative, backed by a 100% landing fee waiver on new international routes and planned passenger vouchers. IATA has objected to what it called “forced relocation” and questioned Navi Mumbai’s readiness for large international operations, citing maintenance approvals, catering, ground handling, crew transport, and passenger access. Air France-KLM said last week that splitting its Mumbai operations “is not an option.”
Source: skift.com
