Adani reportedly planning to move major airline from Mumbai to its airport in Navi Mumbai

If you’ve noticed the rush at Mumbai airport increasing, it’s probably because it has been handling high passenger traffic, which surged past a record 1.3 lakh per day in September. After its acquisition of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Energy to enter power generation, the Adani Group has made its way into roadways, ports and even airports. It has also clinched deals to operate seven out of eight airports across Indian cities, under the public-private cooperation. Now that Adani controls Mumbai’s international airport, it plans to shift one airline’s operations to the Navi Mumbai international airport that it has been developing.

Which one will it be?

According to a Business Standard report, one of two major airlines IndiGo and Air India flying to and from Mumbai’s airport, will operate from Navi Mumbai International Airport when it is completed in 2024. The rationale is that instead of accommodating the extra traffic from either airline at Navi Mumbai, shifting operations entirely for one would reduce initial setup costs. Earlier this year, Adani Group achieved financial closure by finalising a deal with SBI to underwrite the Rs 12,770 crore debt for Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).

After the first phase is completed by the end of 2024, the airport will be able to handle two crore passengers and eight lakh tonnes of cargo, before increasing capacity to six crore passengers when all phases are completed. With NMIA, Navi Mumbai will become the second satellite city to get an airport after Noida.

Adani’s flight not free from controversy

Recently Adani also faced a petition by Kerala’s state government, against the decision to hand over control of the Thiruvananthapuram airport to Adani, alleging that the central government preferred Adani despite lack of experience. The plea was dismissed by the Supreme Court, but was among others such as one by AAI employees’ union, over Adani paying less to acquire Mangaluru airport’s assets. The company’s 10-fold hike in turnaround charges at Lucknow airport had also been questioned.