Foreign carriers take fight to aviation ministry after Adani blocks 12 airlines

New Delhi: Twelve foreign airlines, almost all from the Gulf and West Asia, have asked the civil aviation ministry to undo Mumbai airport’s decision to refuse them take-off and landing slots next summer. If the decision stands, their flights would have to move to Navi Mumbai or stop altogether.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), which runs Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), settled its slot list on Thursday. It found room for 38 of the 50 international airlines that wanted to fly from April, and none for the other 12. Those 12 run about 16 flights a day from Mumbai to 14 destinations, or around 112 a week. That is nearly 15% of the airport’s 770 weekly international departures, according to data Mint reviewed.

On Friday, the Airline Operators Committee (AOC), Mumbai, wrote to civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha. It wanted to know whether MIAL had the ministry’s approval to reduce the airport’s capacity and revoke slots that airlines have used for years. Mint has seen a copy of the email.

“Kindly advise MIAL to reconsider its decision and restore all the historical slots of the affected Airlines for NS-27 (Northern Summer),” the email said. NS-27 is the northern summer 2027 schedule, which begins around April.

MIAL is a joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, the country's second-largest private airport operator after GMR Airports, and the Airports Authority of India. Adani Airport also operates the Navi Mumbai airport.

The carriers include Oman Air, Gulf Air, Air Arabia, Kuwait Airways, and Qatar Airways, among others.

The proposed relocation would affect flights serving 14 destinations, including Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, and Doha.

Together, the 12 carriers account for around 112 weekly departures, or nearly 15% of Mumbai airport's 770 weekly international departures, according to data reviewed by Mint. Operations of 38 other international carriers remain unaffected.

The civil aviation ministry did not respond to Mint's queries sent on Friday evening.

Airlines question the cut

Airlines also questioned the manner in which the slots were denied, alleging that the airport operator suspended allocations without further consultation.

"Airport redevelopment plans should not, in themselves, result in the withdrawal, denial or reallocation of historical slots," the committee said, adding that any capacity-related adjustments must follow the prescribed regulatory framework and ensure non-discriminatory treatment of airlines.

The committee warned that the proposed transition could disrupt airlines' network planning, passenger connectivity, interline and codeshare arrangements, and operational efficiency.

MIAL told the airlines in an email on 5 November that capacity will drop by five million passengers a year from summer 2027, so they must leave Terminal 2 for now. It promised to restore their old slots once Terminal 2’s expansion is complete.

Airlines have questioned the basis for the capacity reduction, arguing that Terminal 1 handled fewer than 10 million passengers annually, significantly below its installed capacity of 15 million. The committee said MIAL had not adequately explained the assessment underlying the proposed five-million-passenger reduction.

Mumbai airport handled 55 million passengers in FY26, including 38 million domestic and 17 million international passengers.

The latest development escalates a month-long standoff between Adani Airport and international airlines over the redistribution of flights between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to free up capacity for the redevelopment of Terminal 1.

On 1 October, Mumbai airport proposed temporarily discontinuing 265 of its 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2, effective 25 October, and asked airlines to shift some operations to Navi Mumbai. The proposal covered 46 airlines and faced resistance from foreign carriers. The ministry subsequently asked MIAL to defer the plan.

Indian carriers, including IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa Air, have since agreed to shift 140-odd weekly international departures to Navi Mumbai. Foreign carriers have continued to resist, citing the distance between the airports, connectivity concerns and disruption to established operations.

On 30 October, MIAL again approached the ministry, seeking support to shift international services to Navi Mumbai from the summer 2027 schedule, serving 14 destinations.

Key Takeaways

• Twelve foreign airlines lost Mumbai summer 2027 slots and appealed to the government.
• The 12 carriers fly 112 weekly departures, nearly 15% of Mumbai’s international flights.
• MIAL says capacity falls five million passengers yearly; airlines call it unexplained.
• Airlines say Terminal 1 serves fewer than ten million, though it was built for fifteen.
• Indian carriers agreed to shift; foreign airlines resist, citing distance and connectivity.

About the Author

Abhishek Law has spent 18 years in journalism, which in news industry terms means he has survived several newsroom restructurings, countless “urgent” press releases, and more cups of tea than he can reasonably count. Based in New Delhi, he covers aviation for Mint, a sector where aircraft, oil prices, geopolitics and airline CEOs regularly conspire to make his life interesting.<br><br>Most of his time gets occupied by translating airline jargon like ASKs, yields, load factors and fleet strategies into language that doesn’t require a pilot’s licence. His motto is simple: if readers need a glossary, he hasn’t done his job properly.<br><br>On most days, the quadragenarian is tracking airline strategies, policy changes and the occasional mid-air disruption that suddenly become a stock market story. When planes are behaving themselves (which is not very often nowadays), he strays into other corporate beats like steel, trying to figure out what’s really happening.<br><br>He loves to talk, especially ask—that one more question which people are uncomfortable with, and saving contacts in his phone as a "Source who may or may not pick up calls”. <br><br>But, on a serious note, the goal remains simple: cut through jargon, find that additional detail, and turn complicated business stories into something one can actually enjoy reading.