One or two foreign airlines may pause Mumbai flights amid airport shift

Adani Airport Holdings CEO Arun Bansal indicated that one or two international airlines could temporarily suspend their flights to Mumbai instead of relocating operations to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport. This potential pause could last a couple of years, according to Bansal, who spoke during Adani Enterprises’ second-quarter earnings call, as reported by Skift.

The shift to Navi Mumbai is part of a broader operational change involving Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, which Adani also operates. The two airports are about 45 kilometers apart, and some airlines may prefer to pause services rather than split operations between them.

Bansal noted that such temporary suspensions would have minimal impact on overall passenger numbers. However, if well-known long-haul international carriers choose not to fly to Navi Mumbai, the airport’s international network could be dominated by Indian airlines, potentially limiting its appeal to global travelers.

Discussions with most international airlines regarding the move are nearly complete, with only a few still ongoing. The outcome of these talks will influence the operational dynamics between the two Mumbai airports in the near future.