Mumbai: Mumbai airport operator told airlines Monday that capacity equivalent to around five million passengers per annum must be restricted at Mumbai airport’s terminal 2 from the summer 2027 schedule.For this, airlines could decide whether to shift a third of their international departures from Mumbai T2 to Navi Mumbai, suspend these flights from Mumbai altogether until 2030 or explore alternatives, the airport added.
Traget: 5M cut/yr
In an email to members of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said individual airlines had complete freedom to decide their operational plans for summer 2027 and beyond.MIAL reiterated that all historical slots at Mumbai airport will be maintained and restored once terminal 1 redevelopment is complete in 2030. “The purpose of these consultations is to avoid any perception of unilateral decision-making,” said MIAL.The email comes amid a standoff over MIAL’s proposed reallocation of a third of international traffic from Mumbai T2 to accommodate domestic passengers displaced by the phase-wise redevelopment of T1, which was earlier set to begin in Jan next year. Airlines opposed any unilateral reduction or cancellation of their allocated slots. The two sides are scheduled to meet again on Oct 28.AOC had, in a letter to MIAL on Saturday, rejected the proposed transfer of international operations to NMIA, saying airlines had neither agreed to the shift nor consented to any reduction or cancellation of their allocated slots at Mumbai airport.The committee demanded compliance with the ministry of civil aviation’s slot-allocation guidelines issued in May 2013, and International Air Transport Association’s Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines. It also sought an evidence-based justification for the proposed changes, including capacity assessments, operational data and the comprehensive plan for T1 redevelopment, with its structural safety assessment, implementation phases and timelines.The dispute began on Oct 1, when MIAL proposed cutting 265 of Mumbai airport’s 770 weekly international departure slots from Oct 25 to free up capacity at T2 for 5 million domestic passengers displaced by T1 redevelopment. T1 is set to be demolished and reconstructed in a phased manner so that the terminal continues to handle flights throughout the redevelopment process.The first phase of T1 redevelopment was scheduled to begin on Jan 15, 2027, with the north section of T1B, accounting for around one-third of the terminal’s capacity, slated for demolition.
