While Adani Airports wants airlines to submit a collective plan to reduce traffic at T2 and facilitate the redevelopment of Terminal 1, the Airline Operators Committee at Mumbai airport is seeking capacity data, structural safety reports and a review of alternatives to the proposed 33% cut in international departure slots. Mumbai airport’s proposed transition plan faces a crucial test at Tuesday’s stakeholder meeting, with the airport operator and airlines seeking different outcomes from the discussions.

Mumbai International Airport , operated by Adani Airports, wants airlines to come up with a collective, actionable proposal to rationalise traffic and make room at Terminal 2 for passengers displaced by the redevelopment of Terminal 1 .The Airport Operators Committee , representing airlines operating from Mumbai, wants the meeting to address the basis for the proposed traffic reduction, capacity availability at both terminals, T1’s structural safety and alternatives to relocating existing operations.

The meeting follows the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s intervention on October 6, when it put on hold the proposed discontinuation of 265 weekly international departure slots at Mumbai’s T2 and asked the airport operator to work with stakeholders on an acceptable transition plan. What MIAL wantsIn a fresh email to airline partners, MIAL said senior Adani Airports executives would explain the proposed partial demolition of T1, the need to relocate approximately five million passengers annually from T1 to T2, and the traffic rationalisation measures required to facilitate the redevelopment.

The airport operator’s position is that accommodating an additional five million passengers annually at T2 would require a corresponding temporary reduction of approximately five million passengers at T2 to create the necessary terminal capacity.MIAL said the rationalisation measures were originally proposed for implementation from October 25 but had been deferred by a few weeks following the October 6 meeting chaired by the Civil Aviation Secretary.

It has now asked airlines, particularly those with which it had previously discussed traffic and aircraft movement rationalisation, to arrive at Tuesday’s meeting with a collective and actionable proposal to achieve the required reduction. On T1’s structural safety, MIAL said the audit reports had been reviewed and examined by the relevant regulatory authorities.

It added that detailed references to, and extracts from, the reports had already been placed in the public domain.

What airlines wantIn its October 9 letter to MIAL, the AOC proposed six agenda items for Tuesday’s meeting, seeking greater clarity on the redevelopment plan and the operational changes being proposed.

Capacity data for T1 and T2: Airlines want month-wise data on actual capacity utilisation and declared capacity at both terminals for 2026. They have also sought the demand-capacity assessment and supporting data underpinning the proposed reduction or relocation of operations, particularly if capacity is available at either terminal.

The AOC has sought clarity on the previously envisaged additional capacity of approximately five million passengers per annum at T2, including its scope and implementation timeline.T1 redevelopment and safety: The committee wants MIAL to present a detailed redevelopment plan, including the scope of work, phase-wise execution, structural and technical assessments, timelines and the anticipated impact on capacity. It has also sought access to independent consultant reports cited in connection with structural safety concerns at T1.

The proposed 33% slot reduction: Airlines want MIAL to explain the rationale for the proposed reduction in international departure slots, how the proposal was formulated and communicated, and its impact on existing operations and approved slots for the Winter 2026–27 schedule. The AOC has said the proposed reduction was neither discussed with nor agreed to by the committee or the affected member airlines.

Alternatives to traffic cuts: The AOC has proposed a review of compliance with the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s slot allocation guidelines, including demand-capacity analyses for T1 and T2. It has also asked MIAL to discuss alternatives it considered, including a temporary passenger-processing facility.

The question before Tuesday’s meetingThe two sides are approaching the meeting with different priorities.

MIAL is emphasising the capacity that needs to be created at T2 to accommodate passengers from T1 and is asking airlines to help develop a workable traffic-reduction proposal. Airlines, meanwhile, want the underlying capacity assessment, the proposed slot reduction and alternatives to relocation examined as part of the discussions. The AOC has reiterated that its member airlines support the safe and timely redevelopment of T1, while calling for operational continuity, transparency and minimal disruption to passengers. Whether the meeting produces an agreed transition plan will depend on how the airport operator and airlines address these concerns and reconcile the need for T1’s redevelopment with carriers’ operational requirements at Mumbai airport.