- Mumbai airport plans to withdraw 265 weekly slots from 46 airlines, reducing Terminal Two international departures by about thirty-three percent.
- Airlines must identify slots to surrender by four p.m. October sixth, or the airport will select them.
- The cuts begin October twenty-fifth, twenty twenty-six, to free capacity for domestic flights during Terminal One redevelopment.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd has told 46 airlines to surrender 265 weekly international departure slots from Terminal 2, cutting capacity by about 33% from the current 770 weekly departures. The reductions are due to begin at 11:59 pm on October 25, 2026.
The airport sent its plan on October 1. Airlines must name the slots they will give up by 4:00 pm on October 6 or the operator will choose which ones to withdraw.
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The carriers have rejected a compulsory cut and asked the civil aviation ministry to intervene. The dispute puts airlines’ planned winter operations against the airport’s need to accommodate domestic traffic.
The reductions apply to weekly departures, not 265 destinations. The airport’s plan covers 46 carriers.
Domestic traffic will take capacity as Terminal 1 is redeveloped
The operator says it needs the freed capacity to move domestic services from Terminal 1 while redevelopment work proceeds. The affected airport is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, operated by an entity within Adani Airport Holdings Ltd.
Terminal 1’s redevelopment is the reason for the temporary reshuffle. Demolition is expected to begin in January 2027.
Airlines face a near-term choice: identify which departures they will surrender, or leave that decision to the airport. The deadline comes less than three weeks before the reduction takes effect.
IndiGo faces the largest reduction among named carriers
IndiGo has the largest listed cut, with Air India next. Their reductions amount to 74 of IndiGo’s 224 weekly international departure slots and 33 of Air India’s 100.
| Airline | Weekly international departures affected |
|---|---|
| IndiGo | 74 of 224 |
| Air India | 33 of 100 |
| Akasa Air | 11 |
| Air India Express | 7 |
| SpiceJet | 5 |
| Emirates | 10 |
| Etihad Airways | 10 |
Other affected airlines include British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Kuwait Airways, Thai Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Oman Air, Ethiopian Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Air Arabia. The list spans Indian carriers and international operators.
The figures show the weekly departures affected, not the total number of routes each airline serves from Mumbai. The overall reduction is 265 slots from the existing 770.
Airlines say the winter plan was already approved
Airlines say they had already arranged aircraft and sold tickets for the winter schedule, which runs from October 25 to March-end. They say the schedule received approval in June and object that the change came without meaningful consultation.
The carriers have also challenged compulsory relocation plans. They want any shift to account for commercial viability, operational needs and airline choice.
The International Air Transport Association, known as IATA, opposes mandated moves and has called for consultation and regulatory oversight. It said it supports Navi Mumbai International Airport and the long-term development of a dual-airport system, but argued that airlines should choose whether to relocate.
“IATA and the airline community remain fully supportive of Navi Mumbai International Airport and the long-term development of the Mumbai dual airport system. However, this should be based on market forces and airlines' choice rather than mandated, forced relocations.”
Air France-KLM also objected to splitting its operations between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, saying it “does not make sense.” Its position reflects a wider concern among international carriers about being required to divide services between the two airports.
The airport’s notice leaves airlines with little time to determine which flights to remove from their schedules. If a carrier misses the October 6 deadline, the operator will select the slots itself.
The operator says the cuts will be temporary
The operator describes the reductions as temporary and says historic slot rights will return once the new terminal becomes operational. That promise is tied to the longer redevelopment timetable, while the immediate cut is set for the start of the winter schedule.
The first affected departures are scheduled to be removed from 11:59 pm on October 25, 2026. Airlines must submit their proposed slot surrenders by 4:00 pm on October 6.
