NEW DELHI: Adani Group’s Mumbai airport and airlines are sparring over plans to temporarily cut international flights to make way for the partial demolition of an ageing terminal, emails reviewed by Reuters show.
Here is what is at stake:
What is Adani proposing?
Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), run by Adani Airport Holdings, plans to start rebuilding the north section of Terminal 1B in January 2027. It says the risks of keeping the 60-year-old building open became more pronounced after a fire at Terminal 1 in April.
Adani says about 5 million of the airport’s roughly 55 million annual passengers will be temporarily affected. To absorb them at Terminal 2, MIAL has said it needs an equivalent temporary cut in traffic there and had proposed a 33% reduction in international departure slots, according to the emails.
Adani says a rebuilt Terminal 1 will have capacity for 20 million passengers a year, up from 15 million, and that airlines’ historic slots will be restored.
Adani Airport Holdings, a unit of flagship Adani Enterprises, runs eight airports in India that handle more than 23% of the country’s passenger traffic, the company says.
Why are airlines pushing back?
The Airline Operators Committee of Mumbai, which represents carriers, said in an October 2 letter that the proposal was “not accepted.” It said winter schedules had been approved in June and there had been no meaningful consultation on the cut. In a later email, it said the cut was being proposed unilaterally and had not been agreed.
Adani said it has consulted airlines on the terminal’s future since 2020. A spokesperson said airlines had not rejected the plan.
The committee has also asked to review independent consultant reports on the terminal’s structural safety. MIAL said structural audit reports had been reviewed by regulators and extracts made public.
In a March 2025 consultation paper, the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India said an inspection conducted through its independent consultant had found structural problems at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 1, including cracks and corrosion.
The committee said airlines fully support the terminal’s redevelopment but warned that cutting flights at short notice could significantly disrupt international schedules, passenger bookings and connectivity from Mumbai.
Where does Navi Mumbai fit in?
Adani also runs the new Navi Mumbai airport, about 36 kilometres (22 miles) away, and says airlines can temporarily move operations there “at their discretion.” It is offering a 100% landing fee discount on new international flights, and plans cash vouchers for international passengers to offset a difference in user development fees.
The committee says airlines have not agreed to any “forced transfer” there. The standoff is an early test of Mumbai’s two-airport system.
What happens next?
After an October 6 meeting chaired by the civil aviation secretary, MIAL deferred cuts planned from October 25 “by a few weeks.” But in an October 10 email, it said the reduction was still required and asked airlines to bring a collective proposal to achieve it to a meeting set to take place on Tuesday.
Airlines want capacity data for both terminals before any cut is considered.