Airlines operating at Mumbai Airport have asked India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation to intervene in a dispute over a proposed reduction in capacity for the Summer 2027 schedule, warning that historical slots should not be removed or altered without due process.
The Airline Operators Committee (AOC) made the request in an email to the civil aviation secretary on Monday. It said Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) had told carriers at a meeting on 28 October that capacity would be reduced by 5 million passengers per annum in the forthcoming summer schedule, which begins around the end of March.
The committee said the airport operator had not provided sufficient justification or clearly disclosed the available capacity. It also referred to assurances given at a meeting on 13 October that future decisions would be taken mutually and in consultation with stakeholders.
“We further request that no historical slots be denied, reduced, cancelled or reallocated unilaterally without due process and adherence to the ministry of civil aviation and International Air Transport Association slot guidelines.”
The AOC has asked the ministry to direct MIAL and the airport’s slot coordinator to approve and confirm the historical slots submitted by existing airlines in their initial Summer 2027 applications. The requested deadline for those applications is 5 November.
Traffic transfer linked to terminal redevelopment
The dispute is connected to plans to redevelop and partially demolish Terminal 1 at Mumbai Airport. MIAL has proposed freeing capacity at Terminal 2 and moving around 5 million passengers annually to Navi Mumbai airport. Airlines are contesting both the proposed slot reductions and the effect on their existing operations.
The AOC said the proposed change would be contrary to the process it expected following the October meetings. Its request to the ministry covers several specific protections:
- approval of the historical slots submitted for Summer 2027;
- no unilateral denial, reduction, cancellation or reallocation of those slots;
- application of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and International Air Transport Association slot guidelines.
The capacity dispute comes as airlines prepare for the opening and expansion of operations at Navi Mumbai. The proposed shift is intended to support the redevelopment of Mumbai Airport, but the carriers’ intervention shows that the allocation of existing slots remains unresolved ahead of the summer planning deadline.
