IATA Comment on Mumbai Airport Slots Situation

John Middleton, IATA’s Head for Worldwide Airport Slots, shared the following comment on Mumbai Airport's slots situation:

"IATA is surprised and deeply disappointed that Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has informed airlines of the unilateral cessation of cargo freighter flights, and a seemingly permanent withdrawal of historic slots for passenger airlines beginning next season. This is not what one would expect of a major hub airport in India, and will cause long-lasting damage to the airport’s reputation and credibility. The discriminatory impact on cargo operations and on certain operators also raises the spectre of reciprocal impact under bilateral air services agreements.

There is existing international guidance to deal with temporary capacity reductions at airports, which calls for consultation and advance notice rather than the unilateral action taken in this case. These guidelines, developed by the Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB), were agreed by the Airports Council International, IATA, and the Worldwide Airport Coordinators Group. MIAL has also failed to adhere to MoCA’s Guidelines for Slot Allocation, including its direction to preserve historic rights for future seasons.

We urge MIAL to immediately withdraw these cuts and instead urgently engage with the airline industry in meaningful consultations to minimize disruptions to airline operations, inconvenience to passengers, and loss of air connectivity for Mumbai. So far there have been zero details on how MIAL will manage the capacity reduction and mitigate the impact. This does not inspire confidence.

It is key that MIAL aligns with the WASB’s guidance. We previously recommended to MIAL on how to approach this situation, which unfortunately was not heeded. These included:

• Delaying any reduction in capacity to the start of the Northern Winter season beginning on 26 October 2025
• Forming a coordination committee for Mumbai Airport and consulting on this issue immediately
• Implementing protocols for transparent communication between the airport and airlines
• Developing clear guidelines for the fair distribution of capacity reductions across affected airlines
• Reassuring airlines that historical rights will be protected in subsequent seasons.

We hope Adani Airports, as the operator of the two-airport system in Mumbai, is not using this situation to pressure airlines to move their operations to their upcoming Navi Mumbai Airport. We fear, however, that this is an example of airport “capacity gaming” which will harm aviation throughout India and beyond.

We urge the central and state governments to ensure that capacity reductions unilaterally mandated by the airport operator are disallowed, since this would adversely impact Mumbai’s air-connectivity, and disrupt passenger and cargo operations at this important gateway airport."