In November, operations of Mumbai airport’s T1 move to T2 and the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI). Global airline body IATA says Adani Airports should not use its position as operator of the “two-airport system” in Mumbai to move traffic. Mint explains:
Why are T1 operations shifting?
Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL)-managed Mumbai Airport’s five-decade-old Terminal 1 will be demolished and redeveloped. T1, with a capacity of 15 million passengers per annum (mppa), is used for domestic flights by IndiGo, Akasa Air and SpiceJet.
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After the reconstruction that begins in November, the capacity will be enhanced by an additional 5 mppa. By building a new passenger terminal enclosure, the capacity will be enhanced further to 20 million passengers by 2028. This redevelopment will be done in a phase-wise manner. Meanwhile, all the operations will be shifted to T2 and NMI in November.
Which airport will get how much of T1’s ops?
T1’s 15 mppa capacity will be split between T2 and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI). While T2 will handle only an extra 5 mppa capacity from T1, NMI, which is expected to start operations in June, will handle the remaining 10 mppa. Currently, T2 with a capacity of 40 mppa, handles international flights and Air India’s operations. With 5 mppa capacity being added currently, T2’s capacity will increase to 45 mppa by the middle of 2026. With a mix of both domestic and international flights and airlines, T2 and NMI will have a capacity of 65 mppa from the new fiscal year.
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Is there a business implication to the move?
Usually when airlines shift terminals within the same airport, there are fewer chances of business being hit. However, the airlines will face infrastructure challenges, including shifting offices. In case of change of airports, airlines with smaller fleets could lose out to big players that can fly from two airports in the same city, as in the case of Goa.
What is Iata’s chief concern?
AAHL will be operating two airports in the Mumbai Metro-politan Region from the new fiscal. The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which has IndiGo, Air India and SpiceJet as members, expressed concern that AAHL should not use its position as the operator of the “twin-airport system” in Mumbai to forcibly move traffic to NMI. AAHL in the coming months will propose tariffs for NMI, after which it will become clear which could be an attractive airport in terms of landing, parking and other charges for the airlines.
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Will it be a smooth flight path?
The flight path to manage traffic at both airports for AAHL could be turbulent in the beginning as T2 will be handling additional passengers and air traffic with restricted capacity. The concerns around the “twin-airport system” raised by Iata are being addressed in talks between the airport operator and airlines. The flight path can only be free of turbulence if airlines get slots as per requirement, aligning with the airport operator’s view. In the long run, both these airports will add to India’s aviation growth story.
