MIAL to cut 265 weekly international flights from Oct 25

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) will temporarily discontinue 265 of the 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25, affecting 46 airlines, as it prepares to demolish and rebuild Terminal 1 starting January 2027. IndiGo faces the largest cut with 74 weekly slots, followed by Air India with 33, while Emirates and Etihad each lose 10, according to MIAL's communication reviewed by Business Standard and The Hindu Businessline. Airlines have until 4 pm on October 6 to identify which slots to surrender, or MIAL will decide, reports CNBC-TV18.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry opposing what it calls 'forced relocation' and arguing that any shift to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) should be voluntary. MIAL says the vacated slots at T2 will accommodate around five million domestic passengers a year moving from Terminal 1, and that historic slot rights will be honoured when the new terminal opens in 2029-30. Challenge Group has suspended cargo operations at NMIA citing an unreliable setup, according to Business Standard.

Update, 3 October 2026: MIAL has formally told 46 airlines it will temporarily discontinue 265 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25, with a deadline of October 6 for airlines to identify which slots to surrender or MIAL will decide, reports CNBC-TV18 and Business Standard. The Hindu Businessline adds that IndiGo and Air India face cuts of 74 and 33 weekly slots respectively. Challenge Group has suspended cargo operations at NMIA citing an unreliable setup, according to Business Standard.