MIAL insists on the plan to shift flights to Summer 2027, despite airline objections

Emirates stated that Navi Mumbai airport lacks necessary auxiliary facilities, such as cargo warehouses and catering capabilities. Meanwhile, the operator of Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) assured the airline that international flights will continue to be based in Mumbai at least until the end of March.

Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (West Asia and Indian Ocean) at Emirates Airline, announced on Wednesday that Navi Mumbai International Airport is not ready to handle international flights due to the absence of support facilities like cargo storage and catering services. He added that it would be difficult for airlines to relocate their operations to this airport until it transforms into a fully functional aviation ecosystem.

A few weeks ago, Mumbai International Airport (MIAL), operated by the Adani group, proposed to airlines to shift 265 out of 770 weekly international flights to Navi Mumbai by October 25, as MIAL was planning the reconstruction of Terminal 1 in Mumbai. Airlines strongly opposed this proposal, and the matter was referred to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

On Tuesday, MIAL held a meeting with airlines and guaranteed them that no international flights would be transferred before the end of March. When asked if Emirates plans to move 33 percent of its flights from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai if the airport operator resumes its offer, Ahmad replied to journalists: 'The airport is not ready.'

Clarifying his position, Ahmad pointed to the essential elements required for airlines to operate. He noted that the airport requires a catering facility, such as a cargo storage facility, and other similar elements. In his view, until the airport becomes a fully formed ecosystem, it will be difficult for any airline to move there.

Furthermore, on Wednesday, Emirates conducted a static demonstration of its A380 aircraft at Delhi airport ahead of the launch of the Delhi-Dubai route starting October 26. Speaking to journalists at the event, Ahmad emphasized that Delhi is an important market for the airline, and it will continue to operate four daily flights from Dubai to the city. One flight will be on the A380, and the other three on modernized Boeing 777s. He also stated that the updated aircraft will offer classes of service: first class, business class, premium economy, and economy.

Ahmad stated that Emirates is willing to consider operating in new airports, including Navi Mumbai and Noida, provided that additional flight permissions and seat allocations are obtained under the air service agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates. He specified that the airline is operating at full capacity permitted by existing rights. Although Navi Mumbai may provide access to a new market closer to Pune, Emirates will require additional permission before considering operations there.

Bilateral air service rights are agreements between two states that determine the number of flights and seats that designated airlines can offer, as well as the routes and airports they can serve. These restrictions mean that an airline cannot simply add an unlimited number of flights or start operating from a new airport, even with high passenger traffic. Ahmad mentioned that the quota related to Dubai is about 67,000 seats per week in each direction. Any increase would require an agreement between the two governments.

Ahmad also reported that passenger load factors on Indian destinations initially suffered due to the Middle East conflict but are now recovering and approaching pre-conflict levels. He declined to state the exact load factor figure before the announcement of the airline's half-year results in November. Separately, he noted that Emirates is operating at 96 percent of its global network capacity before the conflict, and passenger traffic has recovered to approximately 93 percent of the pre-conflict level globally.

According to the analytical firm Cirium, Emirates operates 167 flights per week to nine Indian destinations from Dubai. Mumbai has the highest frequency with 35 flights per week, followed by Delhi with 28 flights. Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad have 21 flights per week each, while Kochi has 14, Kolkata has 11, Ahmedabad has 9, and Thiruvananthapuram has 7. The total weekly frequency remains unchanged compared to October 2025.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Tuesday requested that Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) suspend the current transition plan. Under this plan, 265 out of 770 weekly international flights were scheduled to be moved from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai airport by October 25. Furthermore, sources reported that the airport operator, controlled by the Adani group, was instructed to hold a meeting with all stakeholders to develop a mutually agreed transition plan.

The dispute between airlines and the Adani group regarding the proposed relocation began in August when MIAL started discussing the transfer of international services to Navi Mumbai as part of the reconstruction of Mumbai Airport's Terminal 1. The situation escalated in recent weeks after MIAL requested transition plans from airlines by Tuesday (October 6) and warned that it would proceed with the planned relocation if the airlines did not provide their comments.

Both MIAL and Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) are under the control of Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL). Sources clarified that a meeting held on Tuesday in Delhi between MoCA, MIAL, NMIAL, and the airlines resulted in the decision to postpone the current transition plans.

MIAL is now organizing a meeting with all participants to prepare a transition plan that will be approved by the airlines and other involved parties. Sources added that the new plan must also undergo necessary regulatory approvals.

The protocol of the joint stakeholder meeting, demonstrating airline agreement with the transition plan, will be included in the approvals for the Master Development Plan (MDP) for the project. Approval of the MDP for this project must be provided to MoCA.

The process agreed upon on Tuesday will require MIAL to first obtain stakeholder consent on the transition before submitting the plan for regulatory approval.

The meeting in Delhi took place after airlines raised questions about the basis for relocating 33 percent of specific international services from Mumbai Airport to Navi Mumbai. MIAL stated that 265 out of 770 weekly slots at Terminal-2 would be temporarily suspended, and these flights would be relocated to Navi Mumbai.

Currently, all international flights at Mumbai Airport operate from Terminal-2. According to MIAL, approximately 5 million domestic passengers per year need to be transferred from Terminal-1 to Terminal-2 at the old airport, which is why about 33 percent of the international flights currently operating from Terminal-2 must be moved to Navi Mumbai.

The Airline Operators Committee (AOC) demanded an explanation from the airport operator in its Sunday communication to the Adani group regarding how the figure of 33 percent was obtained. It wanted to know whether the calculation was based on terminal capacity, passenger flow, flights, or slots, and requested the methodology and capacity assessment behind this figure.

AOC also asked the Adani group to point to a stakeholder meeting where this proposal was discussed and agreed upon, and whether the proposed reduction or relocation of established slots was taken into account in the IATA World Slot Guidelines (WASG) and World Slot Guidelines (WSG).

On Saturday, AAHL announced in a press release that terminal reconstruction would begin in January due to safety issues in the 60-year-old building. AAHL CEO Arun Bansal stated that extensive consultations with airlines regarding the future of Terminal-1 had been ongoing since 2020, and that the reconstruction plan had also been presented to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA).

Airlines questioned this statement on Sunday that extensive consultations on Terminal-1 had been taking place since 2020. AOC demanded that the Adani group provide meeting protocols, consultation recordings, and documented results of all consultations conducted since 2020. It noted that 2020 was the Covid period, and Adani only took over the management of Mumbai Airport in mid-2021.

On Sunday, airlines also requested monthly actual data on the utilization of Terminal-1 and Terminal-2 for each month of 2026, as well as the available and claimed capacity of both terminals. AOC stated that this was necessary to understand the justification for the flight relocation, as Terminal-1 currently serves about 10 million passengers annually, with a claimed capacity of 15 million.

The committee separately requested a detailed reconstruction plan for Terminal-1, covering its scope, phases, timelines, as well as the operational and capacity impact at each stage.

AAHL also offered incentives to encourage international airlines to move to Navi Mumbai. These include a 100 percent discount on landing fees for new international flights and cash vouchers to compensate for the difference in user development charges between the two airports.

However, AOC stated on Sunday that such incentives were not its immediate concern. It noted that airlines require transparency regarding the Terminal-1 reconstruction plan, timelines, capacity assessment, and operational transition.