Qatar Airways and Gulf Airlines Resist Shift to Adani-Run Navi Mumbai Airport

MUMBAI, Nov 13: A major dispute has erupted between leading Gulf airlines and Adani Group-run Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) over plans to shift international flights to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), with the carriers warning of possible diplomatic escalation if their established Summer 2027 flight slots at Mumbai's Terminal 2 (T2) are not restored.

The affected airlines include Qatar Airways, Air Arabia, Oman Air, Riyadh Air, Flynas and Saudi Arabian Airlines. They have strongly objected to the proposed changes and warned that they may take the matter to aviation regulators and government ministries in their respective countries.

The dispute follows MIAL's proposal to shift flights serving 14 international destinations to Navi Mumbai from late March 2027 to facilitate the redevelopment of the 60-year-old Terminal 1B. The project requires Mumbai Airport to reduce its annual passenger-handling capacity by five million. Of the 50 foreign airlines operating at Mumbai, only 38 were allocated Summer 2027 slots at Terminal 2.

In a strongly worded communication to MIAL, the affected Gulf carriers argued that reducing airport capacity unilaterally violates the Ministry of Civil Aviation's 2013 Slot Allocation Guidelines and international aviation standards protecting "historical slots" — flight timings operated by airlines in previous seasons. The objection was also marked with the reference "RNA" in the source material.

The carriers warned that if their established slots are not restored, they could escalate the issue to aviation regulators and government ministries in their home countries. Such action could raise the risk of reciprocal restrictions on Indian airlines operating flights to the Gulf.

While Indian carriers, including IndiGo, Air India Express and Akasa Air, have agreed to gradually move selected West Asian routes to Navi Mumbai, foreign airlines have resisted the relocation, citing longer passenger travel times and the potential loss of connecting traffic.

The dispute has also drawn opposition from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu to construct a new Terminal 1B before demolishing Terminal 1A. He has argued that this would allow existing international services to continue without disruption.