Mumbai airlines want T1 safety reports and T2 expansion clarity on 13 October agenda
New Delhi: Airlines operating out of Mumbai want the airport operator to share independent structural-safety reports on Terminal 1 (T1), clarify the status of planned capacity expansion at Terminal 2 (T2), and explain whether alternatives were considered before proposing to shift several international flights to a second airport about 50 km from the city airport, ahead of a stakeholder meeting scheduled for 13 October.
In an email sent on Friday evening to the chief airport officer’s office at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), the Airline Operators Committee-Mumbai (AOC-Mumbai), which represents all airlines operating out of Mumbai airport, proposed six agenda items for discussions with Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) on T1’s redevelopment. Mint has reviewed a copy of the email.
The call to detail agenda items ahead of the 13 October meeting comes after the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) paused the airport operator’s plan to temporarily relocate the international departures and asked Adani Airport to work with airlines and agree on a transition plan.
Both AOC-Mumbai and Adani Airport were yet to respond to emails from Mint at the time of publishing.
Adani-run Mumbai city airport had planned to move a third of international flights from T2 to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport, citing T1 redevelopment. Mumbai airport operator MIAL, a joint venture between Adani Airports Holdings Ltd and the Airports Authority of India, suggested that 46 airlines move 265 of 770 weekly international flights to Navi Mumbai Airport starting 25 October. It said the released international capacity was intended to accommodate domestic operations displaced from T1 during redevelopment. For context, all international departures out of Mumbai are from T2.
Both Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports are run by Adani Airport, India’s second-largest private airport operator by revenue, after GMR Airports.
Proposed agenda items
AOC-Mumbai wants MIAL to share the independent consultant reports cited in discussions about T1’s structural condition. “There have been references to the structural safety of T1 by MIAL at various forums. The AOC would like to review any independent consultant reports that have established such concerns,” the email said.
The committee has also asked MIAL to present a detailed redevelopment plan covering the scope of work, phased execution, technical assessments, firm timelines and the anticipated impact on airport capacity.
Airlines have reiterated their support for the redevelopment but want access to the technical evidence underpinning the plan. They have sought an update on the previously envisaged additional capacity of approximately 5 million passengers per annum (mppa) at T2, including the proposed scope and implementation timeline. They have also requested monthly data on actual capacity utilization at both terminals in 2026, alongside their available or declared capacity.
“The current status of the previously envisaged additional approximately 5 mppa T2 capacity may also kindly be clarified, including the proposed scope and implementation timeline,” AOC-Mumbai said in its email. The status of the proposed T2 expansion could be relevant to discussions on accommodating domestic passengers displaced by the redevelopment of T1.
The airlines have also asked MIAL to explain what alternatives it considered, including a temporary passenger-processing facility, as part of its demand-capacity assessment for T1 and T2. They have also proposed a formal review of compliance with the civil aviation ministry’s slot-allocation guidelines in the event of a capacity reduction.
The other items cover the detailed T1 redevelopment plan disclosure, capacity assessment at both terminals, the proposed methodology for reduction in international departures, and other matters related to the redevelopment.
The dispute
MIAL plans to start rebuilding Terminal 1B in January 2027. Under the plan, domestic flights from Terminal 1 would move to Terminal 2, and some of Mumbai’s international flights would move to Navi Mumbai.
Airlines support the rebuilding but disagree with the cut in international flights. AOC-Mumbai has questioned the technical and practical reasons for the 33% reduction. It has asked for detailed studies on capacity, demand, and planned improvements at Terminal 2. Airlines say their support for rebuilding Terminal 1 should not be seen as an agreement to remove or move international flight times already planned for the winter schedule.
Adani Airport says the move is temporary and necessary for the rebuilding, and that it will bring back old flight times with extra capacity once the new terminal opens. It says about 91% of passenger traffic will stay the same, with around 5 million passengers, or 9% of yearly traffic, temporarily moved.
The rebuilt Terminal 1 is expected to handle 20 million passengers a year, a third more than it does now. Mumbai airport handled about 38 million domestic and more than 16 million international passengers in financial year 2026.
