Qatar Airways, Air Arabia, others warn of diplomatic escalation over Adani’s Mumbai airport push

The standoff between the airlines and the airport operator has also drawn political intervention. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has opposed the proposed relocation of international flights. (File photo)

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Gulf carriers affected by the proposed relocation of international flights from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to the Adani Group-run Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) have threatened to escalate the matter diplomatically if their historical slots for the Summer Schedule 2027 are not restored.

In a communication to Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), which operates CSMIA, several affected airlines, including Qatar Airways, Riyadh Air, Air Arabia, Oman Air, Flynas and Saudi Arabian Airlines, have strongly objected to the denial of their established historical slots at CSMIA’s Terminal 2 (T2). Seeking restoration of these slots, the airlines have argued that any decision to reduce airport capacity cannot be taken unilaterally and must comply with the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s 2013 Slot Allocation Guidelines.

The carriers have warned that they may approach aviation regulators and government authorities in their respective countries, raising the possibility of reciprocal action.

The dispute follows MIAL’s October 30 proposal to the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking approval for a destination-based relocation plan. Under the proposal, all airlines operating on 14 international routes, including routes on which Indian carriers have announced plans to shift some flights, would operate from a single airport, NMIA.

The affected routes include Jeddah, Dhaka, Kathmandu, Bahrain, Kuwait, Madinah, Riyadh, Muscat and Sharjah, among others. The proposal would require airlines operating these routes to shift their services to the new airport.

MIAL’s proposal stems from its requirement to reduce CSMIA’s annual passenger-handling capacity by five million to accommodate displaced passenger traffic during the redevelopment of Terminal 1B. The redevelopment, originally scheduled to begin in January 2027, was pushed to the end of March following discussions between MIAL and the Airline Operators Committee Mumbai. Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL), which holds a controlling majority stake in MIAL, had previously maintained that the 60-year-old terminal required redevelopment over structural safety concerns.

The standoff between the airlines and the airport operator has also drawn political intervention. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has opposed the proposed relocation of international flights.

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In a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Fadnavis proposed an alternative. “I have written to the Ministry to develop Terminal 1B, shift operations from 1A to 1B and then demolish the existing 1A,” he said.