The Ministry of Civil Aviation has deferred the current plan to temporarily discontinue one-third of international operations at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2, with the government asking the airport operator and airlines to work together on a mutually acceptable transition plan, sources tell CNBC-TV18.The proposed plan had involved the temporary discontinuation of 265 weekly international departure slots at T2 from October 25, as part of the phased redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport.
Airlines were told to identify these slots by October 6.The development follows concerns raised by airlines over the transition, particularly the proposed reduction in T2 international operations and the preparedness of Navi Mumbai International Airport to handle the additional operations.At Tuesday’s meeting, chaired by the Civil Aviation Secretary, the ministry asked the airport operator to reconvene with all concerned stakeholders and work towards a transition plan that is agreeable to all sides, sources said.The government has also asked the airport operator to ensure that the necessary regulatory approvals are in place, including those from the DGCA, BCAS and the state government before the transition is implemented.The meeting was attended by officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry, AAI, Adani Airports, airlines and industry bodies including IATA and FIA.Importantly, sources said the ministry has directed the airport operator to submit the stakeholder concerns and the final agreed transition plan along with its request for approval of the Major Development Plan (MDP) for the redevelopment of Terminal 1.The MDP approval for the T1 redevelopment is currently pending with the Civil Aviation Ministry, sources said.This effectively links the final transition arrangement with the government's approval of the redevelopment plan.The preparedness of Navi Mumbai International Airport was also discussed, with the airport operator highlighting measures being undertaken to support the proposed transition.These include landside connectivity, catering and ground-handling arrangements.The airport has separately said its TajSATS flight kitchen is already serving more than 40 departing flights a day, with capacity to produce 7,500 meals daily and scale up to 15,000 meals as operations grow.Sources said the airport operator has now convened another meeting with airlines and stakeholders for October 13 to work on the transition plan.The government’s intervention comes as MIAL seeks to undertake the phased redevelopment of T1.The immediate focus will now be on finalising a transition plan that addresses the airport’s redevelopment requirements while taking into account airline operations, regulatory approvals and Navi Mumbai’s operational readiness.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has deferred the current plan to temporarily discontinue one-third of international operations at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2, with the government asking the airport operator and airlines to work together on a mutually acceptable transition plan, sources tell CNBC-TV18.The proposed plan had involved the temporary discontinuation of 265 weekly international departure slots at T2 from October 25, as part of the phased redevelopment of Terminal 1 at Mumbai airport. Airlines were told to identify these slots by October 6.The development follows concerns raised by airlines over the transition, particularly the proposed reduction in T2 international operations and the preparedness of Navi Mumbai International Airport to handle the additional operations.At Tuesday’s meeting, chaired by the Civil Aviation Secretary, the ministry asked the airport operator to reconvene with all concerned stakeholders and work towards a transition plan that is agreeable to all sides, sources said.The government has also asked the airport operator to ensure that the necessary regulatory approvals are in place, including those from the DGCA, BCAS and the state government before the transition is implemented.The meeting was attended by officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry, AAI, Adani Airports, airlines and industry bodies including IATA and FIA.Importantly, sources said the ministry has directed the airport operator to submit the stakeholder concerns and the final agreed transition plan along with its request for approval of the Major Development Plan (MDP) for the redevelopment of Terminal 1.The MDP approval for the T1 redevelopment is currently pending with the Civil Aviation Ministry, sources said.This effectively links the final transition arrangement with the government's approval of the redevelopment plan.The preparedness of Navi Mumbai International Airport was also discussed, with the airport operator highlighting measures being undertaken to support the proposed transition.These include landside connectivity, catering and ground-handling arrangements.The airport has separately said its TajSATS flight kitchen is already serving more than 40 departing flights a day, with capacity to produce 7,500 meals daily and scale up to 15,000 meals as operations grow.Sources said the airport operator has now convened another meeting with airlines and stakeholders for October 13 to work on the transition plan.The government’s intervention comes as MIAL seeks to undertake the phased redevelopment of T1.The immediate focus will now be on finalising a transition plan that addresses the airport’s redevelopment requirements while taking into account airline operations, regulatory approvals and Navi Mumbai’s operational readiness.
