Mumbai: A deadlock between Mumbai airport and airlines over shifting operations to the new Navi Mumbai airport is set to affect international flights from
October 25. Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), which operates the Adani Group-owned Mumbai airport, has said it will temporarily discontinue 265 of the 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 (T2) from October 25. A total of 46 airlines will be affected by the move. IndiGo faces the highest reduction with 74 slots, followed by Air India with 33. Emirates and Etihad Airways will each face a reduction of 10 slots. MIAL has given airlines until October 6 to decide which 265 slots they want to temporarily discontinue. If the airlines do not respond within the deadline, MIAL will decide which slots will be discontinued, according to a communication sent to the airlines. The move comes amid a disagreement over shifting some international flight operations from Mumbai's existing airport to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. From October 26, the capacity freed up at T2 will be used to accommodate additional domestic operations. These flights will be shifted from Terminal 1 as part of a plan to accommodate around five million passengers who are expected to move from T1. The changes are expected to temporarily affect international flight schedules at Mumbai airport as airlines and the airport operator continue discussions over the proposed redistribution of operations.
