Mumbai Airport Flight Shift Dispute: Foreign Airlines and Adani Fail to Reach Agreement

Proposed transfer of international flights to Navi Mumbai remains unresolved as foreign carriers raise concerns over costs, infrastructure and implementation timelines.

A meeting between Adani Airports and foreign airlines on Wednesday ended without a resolution, prolonging the dispute over the proposed transfer of flight operations.

AAHL, which operates both airports, has proposed moving some international services to Navi Mumbai to facilitate the planned redevelopment of Mumbai airport’s 60-year-old Terminal 1 building. The operator initially proposed shifting around one-third of international flights in August.

The disagreement escalated in early October when airlines were asked to transfer 265 of Mumbai airport’s 770 weekly international departures to Navi Mumbai by October 25. The Civil Aviation Ministry subsequently asked Adani Airports to suspend the plan pending consultations with all stakeholders.

The proposed shift has raised concerns among foreign carriers over the short implementation timeline, limited consultation and operational challenges associated with moving services to a new airport.