Adani Airport Holdings has agreed to delay the relocation of international flights from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport. The operator confirmed that airlines will retain their current winter schedule slots, pushing the mandatory move to the summer timetable starting in March 2027.
The decision follows a meeting between Adani executives and the Airline Operators Committee of Mumbai Airport on Tuesday. Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Airport Holdings, and CEO Arun Bansal met with carrier representatives to address concerns over a proposed plan that would have stripped 265 weekly international departure slots from Terminal 2.
Winter Schedule Remains Unchanged
Under the original proposal, Adani intended to reduce international departures at Terminal 2 from October 25 to make room for domestic flights displaced by the ongoing reconstruction of Terminal 1. The cut would have affected 46 airlines, including significant reductions for IndiGo, which operates 74 weekly departures, and Air India, with 33 weekly flights.
Carriers strongly opposed the immediate shift. Regulators had already approved the winter schedule in June, and airlines had committed resources, including aircraft, crew assignments, and ticket sales, based on those approved slots. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) criticized the initial plan as a “forced relocation,” arguing that any move to a second airport should be driven by airline choice and market conditions rather than operator mandate.
Air France-KLM also stated that splitting its Mumbai operations was not a viable option. The pushback from major carriers and industry bodies created a standoff that Adani Airport Holdings resolved by agreeing to the temporary reprieve.
Terminal 1 Rebuild Drives Long-Term Plan
The pressure to move international traffic stems from the reconstruction of Terminal 1, which is currently undergoing significant upgrades. Adani has stated that the Terminal 1B rebuild cannot be deferred, necessitating a long-term strategy to balance traffic between the two airports.
While the winter slots are safe, the operator emphasized that the transition to Navi Mumbai remains a fixed goal. Navi Mumbai International Airport currently handles only one international route, and the full integration of international services is expected to begin with the summer schedule in March 2027.
To manage the transition, Adani and the airline committee will form a joint working group. This group is tasked with drafting a detailed implementation plan for the Terminal 1 rebuild within two weeks. The plan will outline how traffic will be balanced between the existing Mumbai airport and the new Navi Mumbai facility over the coming months.
The delay provides Adani Airport Holdings with additional time to address operational gaps and coordinate with airlines. However, the operator warned that failure to meet the summer 2027 deadline could result in renewed pushback from carriers when the next schedule cycle begins.
Source: Skift
