Mumbai Airport & Airlines To Meet Today To Draft A Transition Plan Between CSMIA & NMIA For T-1 Modernisation

Mumbai: The representatives from major domestic and international airlines will meet Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) and Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) officials today, October 13, to hammer out a workable transition plan for shifting flight operations ahead of the major overhaul of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s (CSMIA) Terminal 1.

Aviation Ministry Intervenes In Dispute

The crucial high-stakes consultation follows the direct intervention by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), which had stepped in following strong pushback from carriers against AAHL’s initial proposal to cut or shift 265 international flights operating out of Terminal 2 (T2) to make room for domestic capacity displaced by T1’s upcoming overhaul. MIAL’s previous "relocate or temporarily suspend operations" stance on September 30 sparked industry-wide concern, prompting MoCA to order a collaborative, phased transition roadmap that will be formally presented to the civil aviation secretary on October 20.

Today’s discussions are expected to focus on finding middle-ground alternatives such as delaying operational shifts by several weeks or constructing temporary passenger processing facilities to prevent CSMIA's modernising transformation from crippling Mumbai's vital air corridor.

Carriers Demand Technical Documentation

Ahead of the showdown, airline operators wrote to MIAL demanding full technical documentation, structural safety assessments, phase-by-phase timelines, and precise capacity impact figures throughout the reconstruction period of T-1. The carriers also demanded month-wise terminal utilisation data for 2026, independent structural safety audit reports and justification for the 33% reduction in international flights.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also issued a detailed statement backing the ministry's decision to pause unilateral decisions and mandate stakeholder consensus. It instructed affected member airlines to actively participate in the meeting and highlighted MoCA’s 2013 Slot Allocation Guidelines alongside the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG), to remind airport managers that capacity reductions must be avoided wherever possible and require mandatory carrier consultation. IATA has also advocated for independent slot treatments between CSMIA and the newly built NMIA rather than forcing slot transfers across the two separate airports.

The redevelopment of CSMIA’s aging Terminal 1 – a structure handling roughly 15 million passengers per annum (mppa) – is designed to upgrade the terminal's processing capacity to 20 mppa. While AAHL maintains that NMIA is equipped with world-class amenities, ground support services, in-flight catering facilities and hotel infrastructure to absorb spilled traffic, airlines argue that splitting operations at short notice compromises connectivity banks, aircraft rotations and passenger convenience.

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