Indigo, Air India Clear Runway For Shift To Navi Mumbai Airport

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: After weeks of holding out against shifting flights from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, IndiGo and the Air India Group have become the first carriers to announce plans to move some operations to the new airport, paving the way for the redevelopment of Terminal 1 (T1) at the city's existing airport. Together, they will shift 133 weekly international departures to the new airport about 50 km away by July, marking a breakthrough in a standoff with operator Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

The standoff, which saw airlines resist the plan to shift and question capacity curbs at Terminal 2 (T2), prompted the civil aviation ministry's intervention and a string of exchanges between the airport operator and carriers.

IndiGo will shift 84 weekly departures, while Air India Group-Air India and Air India Express-will move a total of 49, said a person familiar with the discussions. The earmarked services will be temporarily withdrawn from Mumbai, said the person cited above.

Also Read | Two airlines to shift flights to Navi Mumbai airport from December

In separate announcements on Sunday, IndiGo said it would progressively transfer 12 daily international departures to Navi Mumbai between February and July 2027. Air India's low-cost arm Air India Express plans to begin four daily domestic flights in December, followed by a phased transfer of services to West Asian destinations from January.

Together, the country's two largest airlines are expected to handle nearly 3 million passengers from the Navi Mumbai airport, accounting for about 60% of the traffic affected by the proposed transition, the person said.

The airports at both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai are managed by Adani Airport Holdings, the country's second-largest private airport operator after GMR Airports.

Also Read | Mumbai airport impasse persists as Adani insists on airline capacity curbs

Adani had proposed to temporarily discontinue 265 of the 770 weekly international departure slots at T2 from 25 October. The plan also involved shifting domestic operations from T1 to T2, necessitating capacity curbs affecting about 5 million passengers annually. The proposed international slot cuts covered 46 airlines, including IndiGo, which was asked to discontinue 74 of its 224 weekly international departures; Air India, 33 of 100; and Air India Express, seven of 21.

In a joint statement with Adani Airport, IndiGo said it would move 12 daily international departures from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The destinations include Bahrain, Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Kuwait, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Muscat, Dhaka and Jakarta.

IndiGo will also introduce a daily service to Kathmandu, taking its international network at Navi Mumbai to 12 destinations between February and July. While the 12 daily departures will be transferred across 11 existing destinations, Kathmandu will be an additional destination served by a new daily flight.

Also Read | Why airlines are resisting shift to Navi Mumbai Airport from Mumbai?

“IndiGo will also shift the domestic connectivity needed to feed these international flights,” it said, adding that the relocation will free up capacity at Mumbai airport for planned international expansion across Asia, Africa and Europe in 2027.

Air India Group said it will "commence the phased transition of some of its West Asia services to Navi Mumbai International Airport, with Air India Express operating four daily domestic flights from December 2026 and planned services to Kuwait and existing services to Oman from January 2027.”

Other destinations to be served by Air India Express from Navi Mumbai include Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Doha, Muscat and Sharjah. The transition is expected to be completed by April, coinciding with the International Air Transport Association's Northern Summer 2027 season. The plan for Kuwait is subject to approvals.

The timelines for the two airlines to shift differ: Air India Express expects to complete its transition by April, while IndiGo's international shift will extend through July.

International airlines have, however, not yet announced any shift in operations. Emirates and Air France-KLM had expressed unwillingness to split operations, citing infrastructure unpreparedness at Navi Mumbai and a lack of demand.

Weeks of disagreement

Most airlines have opposed shifting international operations from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. They sought detailed capacity assessments, terminal-wise utilization data and a clear redevelopment timeline before agreeing.

Carriers also pointed to an additional 5 million passengers per annum of capacity expected at T2 by March, questioning the need to reduce international slots.

In a subsequent communication, the operator of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) said:“approx 5 million pax capacity needs to be restricted at Mumbai airport from S27 schedule,” referring to the summer 2027 schedule beginning in late March.“Individual airlines have complete freedom to make their own decisions regarding the S27 schedule or beyond,” it had added. MIAL is a joint venture between Adani Airport and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), with the latter holding a minority stake.

Adani Airport has maintained that slots at the Mumbai airport would be restored once the terminal is ready in 2030.

The airport operator and airlines, including international, are likely to meet again on 28 October to discuss the transition issue.

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