While the aviation industry is excited about the inauguration of the Navi Mumbai International Airport as India’s one of the first dual-airport systems, it is also worried about the shifting of operations from the existing Mumbai International Airport. The industry is in a split as the airport expects the operations to be gradually shifted to the upcoming airport and the airlines do not want to completely back out from the existing airport.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) will be inaugurated on June 1 by prime minster Narendra Modi and the operations are expected to commence in the second half of August or later. Even as the inauguration is less than a month away, uncertainties are looming over airlines about the shifting of operations from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
In January 2025, CSMIA and NMIA’s operator Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), had announced the redevelopment of CSMIA’s Terminal-1, to enhance its capacity to manage 20 million passengers annually. The “modernisation” of T1 is expected to begin in a phased manner in November and is said to be completed in 2028-29. MIAL had announced that the capacity gap created by the redevelopment work will be managed by T2 and NMIA.
The airlines are eager to start operating from NMIA but at the same time, they do not want to lose their customers who are convenient with flying from CSMIA. On April 9, IndiGo’s chief executive officer Peter Elbers said, “We will not take away all the operations from the existing airports and will serve at both the destinations, just like how we did with Goa’s new airport.”
While the T1’s redevelopment date and NMIA’s inauguration dates come close, MIAL on April 21 informed the cargo operators that it is going to temporarily shut down the freighter operations, the flights that only transport cargo goods, from August 16 till further notice. The airport operator justified the move by saying that it needs to carry out multiple airside works including the construction of a new taxiway for runway 14/32 to enhance its capacity and bring efficiency in operations.
“MIAL has always ensured that any infrastructure upgrade or additional resource creation is created in a fair and transparent manner. MIAL had therefore carried out consultation on March 13, 2024, on intended infrastructure upgrade giving all relevant stakeholders adequate notice period,” the airport said in its letter to the cargo operators.
Similarly, MIAL also announced slot cuts in flights of the West Asian airlines scheduled for the winter season. The move, again, has faced severe backlash from airlines and the Airline Operators Committee-Mumbai (AOC-Mumbai) has also written a complaint to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The airlines believe that this is yet another attempt to push the operations to NMIA.
“Such a significant operational decision, which directly impacts airline schedules, connectivity and passenger experience, cannot and must not be imposed without stakeholder engagement. The total absence of discussion reflects a serious breach of process, transparency and good governance,” read the letter by AOC-Mumbai.
Following these two decisions by MIAL, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also intervened and criticised the former’s moves, terming them surprising and disappointing. In a statement, John Middleton, the head for worldwide airport slots at IATA, said that MIAL has failed to adhere to MoCA’s guidelines for slot allocation, including its direction to preserve historic rights for future seasons.
It urged MIAL to immediately withdraw the cuts and instead urgently engage with the airline industry in meaningful consultations to minimise disruptions to airline operations, inconvenience to passengers, and loss of air connectivity for Mumbai. “We hope that the operator of the two-airport system in Mumbai is not using this situation to pressure airlines to move their operations to their upcoming airport. We fear, however, that this is an example of airport capacity gaming which will harm aviation throughout India and beyond,” he said.
Replying to IATA’s statement, MIAL also issued a statement wherein it refuted IATA’s assertions, claiming that the adjustments to cargo operations and slot allocations have followed a transparent, consultative and regulator-driven process. It also rejected the allegation that the airport is trying to pressure airlines to shift to NMIA through these operational adjustments.
"Airlines have full autonomy over network planning, and there has been no attempt, either direct or indirect, to steer traffic from CSMIA to NMIA. MIAL continues to respect international best practices, including the guidelines issued by the Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB), and remains committed to maintaining fair and equitable coordination with all stakeholders,” MIAL said.
Industry experts have also raised concerns regarding these developments and believe that the path of shifting operations from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai will suffer a lot of turbulence. Experts also believe that MIAL is also planning to shift chartered flights to NMIA as the airport had announced that the non-scheduled flights will not get parking space at CSMIA from year end.
Sandip Jadhav, a Saudi Arabia-based logistics manager, said, “ This major update will impact the logistics and supply chain industry significantly. Freighters like Boeing 777s and 747s, carrying 100+ tonnes, will be grounded. Belly cargo on passenger flights will take over, but capacity may fall short. This change demands quick adaptability and close coordination with customers, partners, and airlines.”
Vipul Saxena, a Mumbai-based former defence pilot and an aviation expert, said, “Mumbai is one the busiest airports with one of the highest passenger turnout in India. It will be inconvenient for the residents of south and north Mumbai to reach NMIA without a convenient mode of transport. The airlines are also uncomfortable as it will ultimately affect their Mumbai operations and their economy. The ministry should intervene and find a workable solution also focusing on the targetted development of T1 for increased passenger capacity.”
CSMIA is India’s second-busiest cargo hub handling 24% of the country’s freight. It handles around four to five freighter aircraft daily, mainly facilitating import and export from the Middle-East, US and UK.
CSMIA records more than 120 daily flights to and from West Asia. Among them, more than 40 flights are operated by West Asian carriers. The move to cut slots for the winter schedule is expected to affect these 40 flights everyday.
Timeline:
December 29: First commercial flight validation test at NMIA
January 10: MIAL announced chartered planes to not get parking space from year-end
January 28: MIAL announced redevelopment plan of T1
April 9: IndiGo CEO announced flying from both CSMIA’s T1 and NMIA
April 21: MIAL announced freighter suspensions
April 26: MIAL announced slot cuts for winter schedule
April 29: IATA condemns MIAL’s freighter suspension and slot cuts
May 1: MIAL refutes IATA’s statement and ensures transparency
June 1: Inauguration of NMIA
August 2025: Operations commencement at NMIA
November 2025: First phase of CSMIA T1’s redevelopment to begin
