Mumbai airport has reportedly asked airlines to give up 265 weekly international slots; the plan is not final

This is a reported plan. It is not a final decision. Mumbai International Airport Ltd, the Adani-operated company that runs Mumbai airport, has reportedly asked 46 airlines to temporarily discontinue 265 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from late October. The Economic Times with PTI, The Hindu BusinessLine, Business Standard and CNBC-TV18 reported that request. This note is NP EXPLAINS. The stamp is developing, because the date, the share and the slots are not settled.

The 265 slots are about a third of roughly 770 weekly international departures. The Economic Times and CNBC-TV18 put that share at 33%. Business Standard puts it at 34.4%. This note does not pick one percentage. The start date also differs. The Economic Times and CNBC-TV18 say 25 October. BusinessLine and Business Standard say 26 October. The Economic Times, BusinessLine and CNBC-TV18 are dated 3 October. Business Standard's report of the request is dated 2 October.

The stated reason is to free space at Terminal 2 for domestic flights, because redevelopment of Terminal 1 begins in January 2027. The Economic Times, BusinessLine and Business Standard report that reason. Some flights could move to Navi Mumbai airport while Terminal 1 is rebuilt. BusinessLine says that arrangement could last until about FY2030. Business Standard also reports the Navi Mumbai possibility. This note does not treat that as a confirmed move of all 265 slots.

The largest cuts listed are these. IndiGo, 74 of 224 weekly slots. Air India, 33 of 100. Akasa Air, 11 of 32. Emirates, 10 of 28. Etihad, 10 of 28. The four outlets above list those cuts. Airlines were asked to identify the slots they would give up by 4 pm on 6 October. If they do not, MIAL may choose the slots. Business Standard and CNBC-TV18 reported that deadline. What a passenger would lose depends on which slots are chosen. That is CNBC-TV18's point. No list of named flights is in the material used here.

Airlines have opposed the move. In a letter of 9 September, the International Air Transport Association called it a "forced relocation" and asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to intervene. Those words are IATA's, as Business Standard and The Economic Times reported them. Business Standard's report of that letter is dated 30 September. Air France-KLM said splitting operations between two airports "does not make sense". The Economic Times reported that line. A MIAL spokesperson said the change is temporary, and that historic slot rights will be honoured. Business Standard reported that statement.

An update on 5 October is this: airlines still oppose the cut. Mint reports a Civil Aviation Ministry meeting before the 6 October deadline. Mint is named in that update. No Mint web address is in the sources checked here, so this note does not add one. The meeting is Mint's report. It is not a recorded decision.

Neutral Politics checked the linked outlets, and the 5 October update, on 5 October 2026 (IST). This note was posted at 12:18 pm IST. Not settled: the exact start date, the exact share, which slots go, and any decision by the ministry.

The cover uses illustrative airport photographs from Pixabay, of a runway and of aircraft. They are blurred and darkened. They are not photographs of Mumbai airport.

What's next

Airlines have until 4 pm on 6 October to name slots, on the reports used here. Whether the ministry changes the plan, and which date and share survive, is not known yet.