Mumbai airport operator Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has told airlines that capacity equivalent to around five million passengers a year may have to be restricted at Terminal 2 from the summer 2027 schedule, intensifying a dispute over the phased redevelopment of Terminal 1.
In an email to members of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), MIAL said airlines could choose whether to shift about one-third of their international departures from Mumbai’s Terminal 2 to Navi Mumbai International Airport, suspend those flights from Mumbai until 2030, or explore other operational alternatives. The operator said individual airlines would have complete freedom to decide their plans for summer 2027 and beyond.
The latest communication follows an earlier proposal to reallocate international capacity at Terminal 2 so that domestic passengers displaced by the redevelopment of Terminal 1 can continue to be accommodated. MIAL said the purpose of the consultations was to avoid any perception of unilateral decision-making.
The operator also reiterated that airlines’ historical slots at Mumbai airport would be maintained and restored once the redevelopment of Terminal 1 is completed in 2030. The assurance is central to the dispute because airlines have opposed any unilateral reduction or cancellation of their allocated slots.
According to the report, MIAL proposed on October 1 to cut 265 of the airport’s 770 weekly international departure slots from October 25. The proposed reduction would free up Terminal 2 capacity for around five million domestic passengers affected by the redevelopment of Terminal 1.
The redevelopment plan involves demolishing and reconstructing Terminal 1 in phases while allowing the facility to continue handling flights. The first phase is scheduled to begin on January 15, 2027, with the north section of Terminal 1B, representing around one-third of the terminal’s capacity, planned for demolition.
The AOC rejected the proposed transfer of international operations to Navi Mumbai in a letter to MIAL on Saturday, saying airlines had neither agreed to the shift nor consented to reducing or cancelling their allocated Mumbai slots. The committee asked MIAL to comply with the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s slot-allocation guidelines issued in May 2013 and the International Air Transport Association’s Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines.
The airlines’ committee also sought an evidence-based justification for the proposed changes. Its demands include capacity assessments, operational data and a comprehensive Terminal 1 redevelopment plan covering the terminal’s structural safety assessment, construction phases and implementation timelines.
The dispute places Mumbai’s two-airport operating model at the centre of an immediate capacity-management challenge. While MIAL has pointed to the need to absorb domestic traffic during Terminal 1’s reconstruction, airlines are seeking clarity on the regulatory basis, operational evidence and protection of existing international connectivity.
MIAL and the AOC are scheduled to meet again on October 28. The outcome of that meeting will determine the next stage of consultations over flight schedules, international operations and the handling of passenger capacity during the Terminal 1 redevelopment.
