IATA smells foul play in MIAL cancelling cargo flight slots
Mumbai: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed 'deep disappointment' with the Adani Group-operated Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) for cancelling slots dedicated to cargo flights starting next season 'unilaterally'. In a statement released this week, the airline association said the move would 'cause long-lasting damage to the airport's reputation and credibility' and wondered if it was aimed at shifting cargo flights to the upcoming Navi Mumbai Internation Airport (NMIA), also operated by the Adani Group.
'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,' John Middleton, head of worldwide airport slots at IATA said in the statement, calling on the central and state governments to reverse the cancellations.
The NMIA, with an annual capacity for 20 million passengers 2.6 million metric tonne cargo, is in the final stages of completion. It is expected to be inaugurated around August 15, and efforts are underway to obtain various approvals and certifications and prepare the terminal building.
MIAL, on the other hand, handles the highest air cargo among Indian airports, at over 0.96 million metric tonne per annum. Historically, cargo slots at the airport have been allocated based on demands from airlines and availability, and many slots that have been held by certain airlines for several years are referred to as historic slots.
In its statement, the IATA said it was 'surprised and deeply disappointed' with 'the seemingly permanent withdrawal of historic slots' at MIAL. October marks the start of a new season in the aviation industry and MIAL's cessation of slots for cargo planes is slated to kick in then.
The IATA accused MIAL of flouting guidelines to deal with temporary capacity reductions at airports, formulated by the Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB). It also said it had earlier shared some recommendations with MIAL regarding implementing a cut in cargo capacity, which were not heeded. MIAL has so far not shared any plans on how it will manage the capacity reduction and mitigate its impact, IATA said in the statement.
In response, MIAL too issued a statement refuting IATA's allegations and claiming that the 'operational rebalancing' was aimed at 'the long-term growth of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region's aviation infrastructure'.
'These operational changes are part of a broader infrastructure upgrade initiative governed by the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA)...MIAL has actively engaged with stakeholders at every stage of the process,' the statement said.
MIAL claimed it had outlined its five-year development plan Airport User Consultative Committee (AUCC) meeting on March 13, 2024, and the AERA had conducted a public hearing on March 25, 2025 which was attended by major stakeholders including airlines, cargo operators, industry associations and IATA.
'We reject in the strongest terms IATA's insinuation that MIAL or Adani Airports is using these operational adjustments to pressure airlines to shift to NMIA...Airlines have full autonomy over network planning, and there has been no attempt to steer traffic from CSMIA to NMIA,' said the statement.
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