The Civil Aviation Ministry has called a meeting with airlines and Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) to resolve a dispute over shifting some flights to Navi Mumbai International Airport and beginning the phased redevelopment of Mumbai Airport’s Terminal 1 (T1). The meeting, chaired by Civil Aviation Secretary Sameer Kumar Sinha, is expected to include representatives of IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Adani Airports.
The dispute centres on MIAL’s plan to reduce or relocate flights before the redevelopment begins. Airlines have opposed splitting operations between Mumbai’s existing airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport, saying the arrangement would require new ground teams, additional staff training and more complex operations.
Stephen Gumucheli, Air France-KLM’s general manager in India, said last week that the airline’s teams were already present on the ground in Mumbai and that dividing operations would require it to create new teams. He said operationally, splitting the work was not an option for the airline.
MIAL has cited the need to improve T1’s capacity and concerns about the condition of parts of the terminal. The operator has asked airlines to stop operating or shift one-third of their international flights from October 25. The redevelopment is scheduled to begin in January 2027. Both Mumbai Airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport are part of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL).
AAHL said on October 3 that redevelopment of the northern section of T1, along with the transfer of some operations to Terminal 2 and Navi Mumbai, would not affect 91% of Mumbai Airport’s passenger traffic. The company said the redevelopment would increase T1’s annual capacity by 33%, from 15 million passengers to 20 million passengers.
Mumbai Airport has two main terminals. T1 primarily handles domestic flights, while international operations are conducted from T2. The International Air Transport Association has opposed the partial relocation of international flights and described the proposed move as forced shifting. In a letter to the Civil Aviation Ministry dated September 9, IATA sought the ministry’s intervention in the dispute.
AAHL has said discussions with airlines over the future of T1 have been underway since 2020. According to the company, the proposed redevelopment plan was presented to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India and incorporated into the tariff framework subsequently approved by the regulator.
The condition of T1 has been a concern for several years. A 2017 structural audit of T1B reportedly found serious deterioration in parts of the building, including corrosion, spalling concrete, exposed and damaged reinforcement steel and cracks. The audit recommended demolishing affected sections, stating that they could pose a serious concern.
A September 2020 AERA tariff consultation paper also referred to MIAL’s position that T1B had become structurally weak and that the project was necessary from a safety perspective. The planned reconstruction was delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Officials are now concerned that the condition of the structure may have worsened over the intervening years.
The ministry’s meeting is intended to address the disagreement over flight reductions, the transfer of operations and the proposed redevelopment schedule. The decision will determine how airlines and airport operators manage the transition before construction begins in January 2027.
