In November, operations of Mumbai Airport T1 were transferred to T2 and the new Mumbai International Airport (NMI). Global airline IATA said Adani Airport should not use it as the location of Mumbai’s “dual electric field system” operator to move traffic. Mint explain:
Why does T1 operation transfer?
The five-year-old terminal of Mumbai Airport managed by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) will be demolished and rebuilt. T1 can accommodate 15 million passengers per year (MPPA) for domestic flights to Indigo, Akasa Air and Spicejet.
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After the reconstruction begins in November, capacity will be enhanced with another 5 mppa. The capacity of 20 million passengers will be further enhanced by 2028 by building a new passenger terminal wall. This reconstruction will be done in a phased manner. Meanwhile, all operations will be transferred to T2 and NMI in November.
Which airport will get the T1 vehicle how many?
The 15 MPPA capacity of T1 will be distributed between T2 and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI). Although T2 will only handle the 5 MPPA capacity of T1, NMI, which is expected to start operations in June, processes the remaining 10 MPPA. Currently, T2 with 40 MPPA handles international flights and Air India operations. Currently, with the increase in capacity of 5 MPPA, the capacity of T2 will increase to 45 mppa by mid-2026. With the mix of domestic and international flights and airlines, the combined T2 and NMI, the capacity of T2 and NMI for the new fiscal year is 65 mppa.
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Is this move a business impact?
Usually, when an airline moves terminals within the same airport, there is less chance of a crash. However, airlines will face infrastructure challenges, including transferring offices. If the airport changes are paid, airlines with smaller fleets may lose to large players who can fly from two airports in the same city, just like Goa.
What are the main concerns of IATA?
AAHL will operate two airports from the new Ministry of Finance in the Mumbai Municipal District. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed concerns that AAHL should not use its position as a “Twin-Airport System” operator in Mumbai to force traffic to NMI. The AAHL will propose tariffs on NMI in the coming months and it will become clear after that it may be an attractive airport in terms of landings, parking lots and other expenses for airlines.
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Will this be a smooth flight path?
Initially, flight roads that manage AAHL traffic at two airports may be turbulent, as T2 will handle other passengers and air traffic with limited capacity. The concerns about the “two-locomotive system” raised by IATA are being addressed in talks between airport operators and airlines. If the airline obtains the slot as required to be consistent with the airport operator’s line of sight, the flight path can only be free of turbulence. Both airports will increase the story of aviation growth in India in the long run.
