Civil Aviation Ministry Asks Mumbai Airport & Airlines To Come Up With A 'Win-Win Plan' Over Shifting Flights To NMIA

Mumbai: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has asked Adani Airport Holding Ltd (AAHL) and the airlines to come up with a plan for shifting flights from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) by October 20. The ministry has directed both the stakeholders to prepare a plan which turns out to be beneficial for both.

Airlines Oppose Flight Shift

The intervention came following protest from airlines against AAHL's plan to discontinue 265 international flights from Mumbai's Terminal-2 as the airlines were not ready to switch operations to NMIA to facilitate major revamp of Mumbai's Terminal-1. On September 30, Mumbai International Airport Ltd's (MIAL) spokesperson gave an ultimatum to airline saying, “Either relocate to NMIA or temporarily suspend operations.” The operator has promised to honour the airlines' historic slots post redevelopment after around four years.

Following an intense opposition by the airlines, the MoCA intervened and held a meeting on Tuesday with AAHL, Airports Authority of India, Federation of Indian Airlines and other domestic airline operators. According to sources, the aviation secretary asked AAHL to work out a firm transition plan along with the airlines, including IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air.

October 20 Deadline Set

According to the ministry's direction, a consultation meeting will be held between the airport operator, airlines and the aviation secretary on October 13 to firm up the transition plan and another meeting will be held on October 20 to finalise the plan. The secretary also proposed to delay the transition by a few weeks.

Sources said that in the 90-min long discussion, the representatives from the airlines raised concerns against the aggressive timelines proposed by the airport operator. While AAHL addressed the concerns, it also outlined its preparedness with NMIA. The airport operator highlighted that the airport is ready with key infrastructure and passenger amenities, including robust airport connectivity, inflight catering facilities, hotels, lounges and other supporting services.

A representative from AAHL highlighted that the phased redevelopment of Mumbai Airport's T-1 will enhance its capacity from 15 million passengers per annum to 20 million passengers annually. Notably, the T-1 building is around 60 years old and has been repeatedly flagged for requiring severe redevelopment.

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