Mumbai airport flight shift needs transparent capacity assessment: IATA

IATA welcomes the ministry's intervention to defer the proposed flight shift to Navi Mumbai, calling for consultation with airlines and a transparent capacity assessment

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Wednesday welcomed the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s (MoCA) intervention to defer the current proposal to shift international flights from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai, saying any reduction in airport capacity should be based on a transparent assessment of passenger demand and available capacity.

 

Albert Tjoeng, IATA’s head of corporate communications, said in a statement that stakeholders should "examine alternatives" that could reduce or avoid such capacity reductions at Mumbai airport and work together on a transition plan that "protects passengers, airline operations and international connectivity in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region".

 

The dispute between airlines and the Adani Group over the proposed shift began in August, when Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) started discussions on moving around one-third of international services to Navi Mumbai as part of the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at the existing Mumbai airport. Both MIAL and Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) are controlled by the Adani Group.

  

The issue escalated recently after MIAL asked airlines to shift 265 of 770 weekly international departures by October 25 and submit details of which specific flights would be shifted by October 6, and warned that it would proceed with the proposed shift even if airlines did not provide their inputs. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) held a meeting with stakeholders and asked MIAL to defer its transition plan.

 

“We thank the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for its intervention, and welcome its decision that the airport operator defer its current proposal and re-engage with all stakeholders before returning with a revised and collaborative transition approach for T1 redevelopment,” Tjoeng stated.

 

IATA — which is an industry body comprising almost all airlines globally — said it has consistently supported the redevelopment of Terminal 1, the modernisation of Mumbai airport and the development of Navi Mumbai International Airport. It said all three projects were important for the long-term growth of aviation and international connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

 

“However, any significant reduction in airport capacity or other measure impacting airline operations should be based on a transparent demand-capacity assessment, meaningful consultation with affected airlines, and sufficient time to develop workable transition arrangements that minimize disruption to airlines and their passengers,” Tjoeng said.

 

IATA said these principles are reflected in MoCA’s Slot Allocation Guidelines, the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) and best-practice airport planning guidelines. The WASG provides internationally accepted principles for allocating and managing airport slots.

 

Tjoeng said the latest discussions provide an opportunity for all stakeholders using Mumbai airport to review the underlying capacity requirements and understand the basis for any proposed reduction in capacity.

 

“The discussion now provides an opportunity for stakeholders using the airport to review the underlying capacity requirements, understand the basis of any proposed capacity reduction, examine alternatives that may mitigate such reductions, and work collaboratively on a transition plan that protects passenger interests, airline operations and the international connectivity of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region,” Tjoeng said.

 

“The key thing is to reach an agreement on the revised approach among all parties – MIAL and airlines operating at Mumbai Airport – through consultation,” he added.

 

MIAL had planned to "temporarily" discontinue 265 of the 770 weekly international departure slots at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2. The freed-up capacity was to be used for domestic flights moving from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 during the redevelopment of Terminal 1.

 

IATA said the immediate priority should now be to reach an agreement among the parties involved rather than proceed with a unilateral transition.