Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Mumbai airport slot cuts: Key dates and numbers
Mumbai International Airport Ltd has threatened to cut 265 of 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25, citing the Terminal 1 redevelopment, and has asked airlines to name the slots by 4 pm on October 6.
October 6, 4 pm: the deadline for airlines to name the slots they want to discontinue at Mumbai’s Terminal 2.
October 25: the date from which the cuts would start.
265: the number of weekly international departure slots proposed to be cut.
770: the weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 before the cut.
46: the number of airlines affected.
IndiGo faces a cut of 74 weekly slots and Air India 33.
Emirates and Etihad Airways each face a cut of 10 weekly departures.
Akasa Air faces a cut of 11 slots, Air India Express 7 and SpiceJet 5.
MIAL has asked airlines to identify the specific departure slots they want to discontinue by 4 pm on October 6.
For airlines that do not respond, MIAL will decide the cuts itself.
The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, has opposed compulsory airline relocations.
IATA has argued for voluntary transfers and for protecting existing slot entitlements during the transition.
A slot is the approved time at which an airline may take off from or land at an airport.
The reports did not include a direct statement from the government or the airlines on the proposed cut.
Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and Terminal 2 opened in 2014.
October 25, 2026 is the last Sunday of October, the date on which the northern winter flight schedule normally begins.
Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet are Indian carriers, while Emirates and Etihad Airways are Gulf carriers.
The cuts are proposed on weekly international departure slots, which means the figures describe flights each week, not a single day.
IATA is the trade body that represents airlines worldwide.
Mumbai International Airport Ltd, or MIAL, has threatened to temporarily discontinue 265 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 from October 25, 2026.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0