Foreign carriers battle aviation ministry after Adani blocks 12 airlines | Today’s news

New Delhi: Twelve foreign airlines, almost all from the Gulf and West Asia, have asked the civil aviation ministry to overturn Mumbai airport’s decision to deny them take-off and landing slots next summer. If the decision stands, their flights would have to be shifted to Navi Mumbai or stopped altogether.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which operates the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), on Thursday settled its slot list. It found space for 38 of the 50 international airlines that wanted to fly from April and none for another 12. Those 12 operate about 16 flights a day from Mumbai to 14 destinations, or about 112 a week. This is nearly 15% of the airport’s 770 weekly international departures, according to data checked by Mint.

This was written by the Air Operators Committee (AOC) in Mumbai on Friday Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha. It wanted to know whether MIAL has the ministry’s approval to reduce the airport’s capacity and take away the slots that airlines have been using for years. Mint has seen a copy of the email.

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“Kindly advise MIAL to reconsider its decision and restore all historical slots of affected airlines for NS-27 (North Summer),” the email said. NS-27 is the Northern Summer 2027 plan that starts around April.

MIAL is a joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, the country’s second largest private airport operator after GMR Airportand Airports Authority of India. Adani Airport also operates Navi Mumbai Airport.

Carriers include Oman Air, Gulf Air, Air Arabia, Kuwait Airways and Qatar Airways, among others.

The proposed relocation would affect flights serving 14 destinations, including Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka and Doha.

The 12 carriers together account for around 112 weekly departures, or nearly 15% of the 770 weekly international departures at the Mumbai airport, according to data reviewed by Mint. The operation of 38 other international carriers remains unaffected.

The civil aviation ministry did not respond to Mint’s queries sent on Friday evening.

Airlines dispute the cut

The airlines also questioned the manner in which the slots were denied, claiming that the airport operator suspended the allocation without further consultation.

“Airport redevelopment plans should not in themselves lead to the withdrawal, rejection or reallocation of historic slots,” the committee said, adding that any capacity-related adjustments must adhere to the prescribed regulatory framework and ensure non-discriminatory treatment of airlines.

The committee warned that the proposed transition could disrupt airline network planning, passenger connectivity, interline and codeshare arrangements and operational efficiency.

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MIAL told the airlines in a November 5 email that capacity will drop by five million passengers a year from summer 2027, so they must leave Terminal 2 for now. It promised to restore their old slots once the Terminal 2 expansion is complete.

Airlines have questioned the reasons for the capacity cuts, claiming that Terminal 1 handled less than 10 million passengers annually, well below the installed capacity of 15 million. The committee said MIAL had not adequately explained the assessment underlying the proposed cut of five million passengers.

Mumbai Airport handled 55 million passengers in FY26, including 38 million domestic and 17 million international passengers.

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The latest development escalates the month-long standstill between Adani Airport and international airlines due to reallocation of flights between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to free up capacity for the redevelopment of Terminal 1.

On 1 October, Mumbai Airport proposed to temporarily suspend 265 of its 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 effective 25 October and asked airlines to shift some operations to Navi Mumbai. The proposal involved 46 airlines and faced opposition from foreign carriers. The ministry subsequently asked MIAL to shelve the plan.

Indian carriers incl IndigoAir India Express and Akasa Air have since agreed to shift 140 international flights a week to Navi Mumbai. Foreign carriers continued to resist, citing distance between airports, connectivity issues and disruption to established operations.

On 30 October, MIAL again approached the ministry for support in shifting international services to Navi Mumbai from schedule 2027, serving 14 destinations.

Key things

• Twelve foreign airlines have lost their Mumbai summer 2027 flight slots and appealed to the government.
  
• These 12 carriers fly 112 weekly departures, which is almost 15% of Mumbai’s international flights.
  
• MIAL says capacity is falling by five million passengers a year; airlines call it unexplained.
  
• Airlines say Terminal 1 serves fewer than ten million, although it was built for fifteen.
  
• Indian carriers agreed to the move; foreign airlines are fighting back, citing distance and connectivity.