Report: Major Airlines IndiGo and Air India Reluctant to Shift to Adani’s Navi Mumbai Airport
As the commercial launch of the Navi Mumbai airport approaches in March 2025, Adani Airport Holdings (AAHL), the subsidiary of Adani Enterprises and the country’s largest airport operator, is encountering difficulties persuading major airlines to shift operations from Mumbai.
A year ago, AAHL aimed to relocate at least one large carrier to Navi Mumbai, even offering prime slots, as outlined in a presentation released in October 2022. However, both IndiGo and Air India, the two major airlines operating in Mumbai, have not expressed interest in the move.
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, stated at a recent event that the existing Mumbai airport would still serve its purpose, and the coordination between the two airports would need to be planned going forward.
While AAHL is in discussions with various airlines, the challenge lies in convincing them to connect with the Navi Mumbai airport, which, though larger and more modern, faces limited transportation options to and from Mumbai city.
The Navi Mumbai airport, with a projected capacity of 20 million passengers in Phase 1 and an investment of Rs 19,600 crores, is expected to handle its first flight by the end of FY25. Until then, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will continue to experience congestion. Operators of crowded airports are eager for airlines to shift operations to nearby airports to manage growing passenger numbers.
The lack of comprehensive transportation options to Navi Mumbai, with only road connectivity available at present, poses a challenge. While construction on the airport has been ongoing since August 2021, the 40-km metro line connecting Navi Mumbai to Mumbai airport is yet to begin, and multiple clearances from government agencies are still pending.
The Adani group, however, expresses confidence in receiving timely approvals. As of mid-January, 78% of the first of the two runways, measuring 3,700 meters, had been completed, with the remainder expected to be finished by the end of the year’s monsoon.
