Mumbai Airport Reshuffle Faces Airline Resistance
Adani Airport Holdings Limited, the operator of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), is facing significant pushback from foreign airlines regarding its proposal to temporarily transition international operations from CSMIA's Terminal 2 (T2) to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). Despite a recent meeting with the Airline Operator Committee (AOC), representing 47 international carriers, a consensus on the shift remains elusive.
The proposed move aims to free up capacity at CSMIA to allow for the critical demolition and redevelopment of Terminal 1 (T1), a project delayed for over nine years. Structural audit reports from Structwel (2017) and IIT Bombay (2024) have underscored the urgent need for T1's demolition due to safety concerns. Adani Airports projects that the redevelopment of T1 and T2 will ultimately boost CSMIA's total capacity from 55 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 65 mppa.
Deadline Set for Transition Plans
Adani Airports has requested that foreign airlines submit their transition plans by November 3. This deadline is crucial for finalizing the temporary shift of 5 mppa in international traffic to NMIA for the Northern Summer 2027 season (NS27). While foreign carriers seek more details, leading Indian airlines—IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air—have already finalized their plans, accounting for approximately 3 mppa of international traffic moving to Navi Mumbai.
The airport operator has assured airlines that the temporarily relocated international traffic will be fully restored to CSMIA once the T2 expansion is complete. This temporary transition, affecting 5 mppa, means that 91% of CSMIA's current traffic will remain unaffected. MIAL also clarified that this temporary reduction in CSMIA traffic and the T1 demolition are already incorporated into the approved tariff order, following extensive stakeholder consultations.
The Urgency of CSMIA's Redevelopment
The imperative to demolish and redevelop CSMIA's Terminal 1 stems from its aging infrastructure and the need to modernize the airport to meet growing demand. The temporary shift to Navi Mumbai is presented as a necessary step to facilitate this crucial upgrade without compromising Mumbai's international air connectivity in the long term. Adani Airports presented a detailed vision plan for the new Terminal 1 to the airline operators during their meeting, emphasizing the strategic importance of the expansion.