Top airlines like IndiGo, Air India hesitant to shift to Adani's Navi Mumbai Airport: Report

Just a year to go in the commercial launch of Navi Mumbai Airport in March 2025, but Adani Airport Holdings (AAHL) is still facing troubles in getting major airlines to shift operations from Mumbai.

Adani Enterprises tried to move at least one major carrier to the Navi Mumbai airport a year ago and even offered it prime slots. However, Air India and IndiGo have not shown interest in making the shift.

“Even with the new airport, the existing airport (in Mumbai) will still serve its purpose. How precisely we orchestrate one another will have to be planned going forward,” IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told Financial Express.

AAHL stated that it is currently holding discussions with many airlines in this regard, however, there is nothing concrete as of now.

“We will be able to give clarity on this when there is something concrete and agreements are signed,” Adani Airport Holdings told FE.

The first flight is expected to operate from the Navi Mumbai airport, worth ₹19,600-crore, by the end of FY25, with a capacity expansion to 20 million passengers in Phase 1. 

With a 55 million passenger capacity annually, Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will remain congested until then, Financial Express reported. 

The Navi Mumbai airport will have a road connection to Mumbai by the time it prepares to handle its first flight the following year. Although there is insufficient rail connectivity via the Central Railway's Harbour line, work on building the 40-kilometer metro line that will link Mumbai's airport with Navi Mumbai's airport has not yet started.

Sources informed FE that numerous clearances from various government agencies are still pending, while the construction work on the Navi Mumbai airport has been ongoing since August 2021. 

The Adani group is optimistic that it will receive approval from the relevant authorities promptly.