Gulf Airlines Latest To Oppose Mumbai Airport Flight Shift, Threaten Diplomatic Escalation

The Adani-operated Mumbai airport's plan to temporarily shift flights to 14 international destinations to Navi Mumbai airport has now led to affected Gulf carriers voicing opposition. Gulf carriers have warned that they may take the dispute to government and diplomatic channels in India and their respective countries if their historical slots are not reinstated.

The warning comes after Mumbai airport rejected the historical slots of Gulf airlines at Terminal 2 from the Summer 2027 schedule.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), operated by Adani Airport, has proposed that foreign carriers also relocate their services to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) on 14 international routes where Indian airlines have already announced plans to shift their operations.

Foreign Airlines Raise Concerns Over Navi Mumbai Shift

According to CNBC-TV18, the Gulf airlines have written to MIAL, objecting to the proposed withdrawal of their established historical slots at Terminal 2 from. They have demanded that these slots be restored, adding that any changes due to capacity constraints must follow the government's slot allocation framework and the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines.

One of the affected carriers has warned in an email that it reserves the right to approach aviation regulators and government authorities through diplomatic channels in both countries if the issue is not resolved, CNBC-TV18 reported.

This creates the risk of the disagreement extending beyond airport-level negotiations and regulatory proceedings to affect bilateral aviation relations.

The Gulf carriers have also challenged the regulatory basis and methodology for MIAL's proposed reduction of 5 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in Mumbai airport's capacity from the Northern Summer 2027 schedule. They have asked the operator to explain the objective criteria behind the selection of airlines that are facing restrictions. The carriers insisted that the process should be transparent, equitable and non-discriminatory.

The Indian Express earlier identified 11 Gulf-based airlines affected by the slot dispute, including Gulf Air, Riyadh Air, Air Arabia, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, Flyadeal, Saudia, Qatar Airways, Jazeera Airways, SalamAir and Flynas.

The opposition to the proposed relocation is not limited to these Gulf carriers. Emirates has previously questioned whether the Navi Mumbai airport has the "operational capacity" to handle large-scale international operations. On the other hand, Air France-KLM has objected to splitting its services between the two airports, describing the arrangement as “operationally inefficient”, according to The Indian Express.

Foreign carriers have also sought more details about the new airport's infrastructure, capacity and passenger demand before agreeing to shift operations.

The 14 destinations in question are Bahrain, Dammam, Dhaka, Doha, Fujairah, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Kuwait City, Madinah, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh and Sharjah.

Fadnavis Proposes Alternative Terminal 1 Plan

Earlier this week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis opposed the proposed relocation of flights, asserting that no services would be shifted out of Mumbai. He has written to the civil aviation minister, putting forward an alternative proposal for the redevelopment of Terminal 1.

Under Fadnavis's plan, Terminal 1B would be developed first, allowing operations at Terminal 1A to be transferred there before the existing terminal is demolished. This phased approach would enable the redevelopment of Terminal 1 without closing the entire facility.

Meanwhile, the Airlines Operators Committee urged the central aviation ministry to ensure that MIAL retains the airlines' historical slots in accordance with the slot guidelines of MoCA (2013) and IATA.

Earlier this month, foreign airlines had approached the Centre seeking clarification on the Mumbai airport's decision to withhold historical flight slots from select foreign carriers operating services to 14 international destinations.

The operator has argued that airlines serving the same destinations should operate from a single airport, rather than having their services divided between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

In a letter dated October 30 addressed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, MIAL said the proposal would ensure that “all flights from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to these international destinations are available at one airport instead of being split at two airports in the same region.”

MIAL is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) venture between AAHL, holding a majority stake of 74%, and the Airports Authority of India, holding the rest 26%.