Suspending cargo flights as NMIAL lacks reliable setup: Challenge group

Malta-based Challenge Group says Navi Mumbai airport's current operational setup does not provide the reliability and certainty required for its cargo services

Challenge group, a Malta-headquartered international logistics company, has temporarily suspended all cargo flight operations to and from the Mumbai region, saying the current “operational setup” at Navi Mumbai airport does not allow the firm to deliver its cargo services with the “level of reliability and certainty it requires”.

 

In August, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) had told airlines to compulsorily shift around one-third of their international passenger and cargo operations from the Mumbai airport to the Navi Mumbai airport from October 1 (Thursday) as demolition and reconstruction of old airport's Terminal 1 is scheduled to begin in January. Dedicated freighter flights have also been shifted to the new airport for the same reason.

  

Both  MIAL and Navi Mumbai International Airport Limited (NMIAL) are controlled by the Adani Group.

 

In a statement on LinkedIn, Challenge group said: “We have made the decision to temporarily suspend our Mumbai operations until further notice.” 

 

 “Following Challenge group’s mandatory transition from the Mumbai airport to the Navi Mumbai airport, and an assessment of the current operating conditions at the Navi Mumbai airport, we have determined that the present operational setup does not yet enable us to deliver our cargo services with the level of reliability and certainty we require,” it added.

 

The circumstances leading to this situation, the firm said, are outside its control but the decision to suspend its services is a "deliberate one".

 

"Protecting our customers, their cargo and the reliability of their supply chains remains our priority. Our teams are actively evaluating alternative options to maintain strong connectivity between India and our international network, and we expect to communicate details of a new service to the market shortly," it noted.

 

The suspension comes only months after Challenge group expanded its Mumbai operation. From July 2, the company upgraded its Mumbai-Liège service to Boeing 777-300ERSF freighters, replacing its earlier Boeing 767 operation.

 

The company  on LinkedIn said it is committed to Mumbai and looks forward to resuming its operations once the necessary conditions are in place to support its cargo services "reliably and effectively".

 

Challenge Group has built a presence across India over the past two years, operating dedicated freighter services from Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Globally, the company  operates Boeing 747, 767 and 777 freighter aircraft and has more than 1,000 employees on its rolls. It handles more than 500,000 tonnes of cargo per year across the world.

 

On Wednesday, Air France-KLM stated that it does not plan to split its Mumbai passenger flights between Mumbai airport and Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI), as it would reduce operational efficiency, split teams and ground-handling arrangements, and make it harder to manage its long-haul network.

 

On September 9, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to intervene against MIAL's proposal to forcibly shift around one-third of every international airline's passenger and cargo operations from Mumbai airport to newly-opened Navi Mumbai International Airport from October 1, saying the plan was not developed through consultation with airlines.