Mumbai Airport Faces Airline Pushback Over Terminal 2 Cuts
Mumbai's MIAL to cut a third of Terminal 2 international departures starting October 25 to make room for domestic flights, triggering airline pushback.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Mumbai Airport (MIAL) plans to pull 265 of 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25.
- A total of 46 airlines are hit, led by IndiGo losing 74 weekly departures and Air India losing 33.
- Adani-owned Navi Mumbai Airport, opened in December 2025, is offered as an alternative with fee waivers.
- The Civil Aviation Ministry has called an urgent meeting of both sides on Tuesday to resolve the dispute.
Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) has formally notified carriers of its intention to temporarily cut one-third of international departures from Terminal 2 starting October 25, giving airlines a strict deadline of 4 p.m. Tuesday to nominate flights for removal. The slots are being cleared to accommodate domestic flight operations displaced by ongoing reconstruction work at the 1965-built Terminal 1.
The sweeping cuts impact 46 international carriers operating out of the hub. IndiGo faces the largest reduction with 74 weekly departures stripped, followed by Air India with 33, Akasa Air with 11, Emirates and Etihad with 10 each, and Air India Express with seven. Airlines have strongly pushed back, noting that these schedules were approved back in June with aircraft, flight crews, and ticket sales already fully committed.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
In response to the sudden mandate, airlines have petitioned the Civil Aviation Ministry to intervene and halt the cuts. The ministry responded by scheduling a high-stakes meeting between airport operators and airline representatives on Tuesday, coinciding precisely with MIAL's ultimatum deadline as carriers demand a workable compromise.
This dispute serves as the first major stress test for Mumbai's dual-airport framework under the Adani Group, which operates both MIAL and the newly opened Navi Mumbai International Airport located roughly 45 kilometers (28 miles) away. To incentivize the shift, Adani has offered a 100% landing fee waiver for new international routes alongside passenger vouchers. However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has questioned Navi Mumbai's operational readiness for heavy international traffic, citing gaps in maintenance, catering, ground handling, and a lack of direct Metro rail connectivity until 2031.
While MIAL maintains that the relocation is temporary and insists that 91% of Mumbai's traffic remains unaffected, carriers remain deeply resistant. Air France-KLM firmly declared last week that splitting its operations across two Mumbai airports is simply "not an option," leaving the future of the airport operator's transition plan hanging on Tuesday's ministerial talks.
Source: Skift
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