Mumbai: International flight operations out of Terminal 2 (T2) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will not face any immediate cuts or relocation until at least March, following high-stakes consultations between airport top management and airline representatives on Tuesday. However, the airlines have been asked to shift around 5 million domestic passengers to make way for the redevelopment of the aging Terminal-1.
Adani Leadership Meets Airline Representatives
The consensus was reached during a joint meeting between Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) and the Airline Operators Committee (AOC) of Mumbai Airport. Top Adani leadership, including Jeet Adani and Arun Bansal, attended the meeting to address growing friction over CSMIA’s capacity reallocation.
The airport operator assured the airlines that it will not disrupt scheduled international flights during the winter schedule, which will be in effect from October 25 to March 27, 2027. Sources present at the meeting said that the decision was taken after airline representatives, including foreign airlines, asked the airport operator to prevent shifting international flights during the winter schedule, noting that it could create chaos for travellers who had already booked flights.
International Flights May Shift In March
Accordingly, a few international flights from CSMIA's T2 can possibly be shifted to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) from the beginning of the summer schedule from March 28, 2027.
However, MIAL and AAHL are keen to begin the redevelopment of T1 and asked the airlines, during Tuesday’s meeting, to balance traffic distribution by shifting one-third of the total 15 million domestic passengers out of T1 to clear space for demolition of T1-B beginning January 2027.
Airport Operator Promises Operational Support
The airport operator guaranteed full operational and ground-handling support for airlines that choose to voluntarily shift operations to the newly constructed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). However, it also assured airlines that it will try to shift passengers to T2 as much as possible, even though it is already operating at peak capacity.
The joint working group will work over the next two weeks to come up with a plan for implementing the redevelopment of ageing T1 infrastructure and engage in a follow-up meeting on October 28 after meeting with the airlines' network and slot teams.
Tuesday's crucial deliberation followed a direct intervention by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) after carriers pushed back sharply against MIAL’s proposal to curtail or shift up to 265 international flights out of T2 to accommodate domestic traffic displaced by T1’s upcoming reconstruction.
Notably, the 60-year-old T1 currently processes nearly 15 million passengers per annum (mppa). The planned comprehensive redevelopment aims to expand T1's modern handling capacity to 20 mppa.
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