Charter and private aircraft will not get parking space at Mumbai airport starting Q4 of calendar year 2025.

This is part of a move to limit and gradually shift all non scheduled flights from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai airport. The restriction is being proposed to improve operational efficiency and reduce congestion at Mumbai airport.

Construction of a general aviation terminal for charter flights at Navi Mumbai airport is underway and is expected to be complete by Q4 of CY 2025. The Adani group is also carrying out an e-auction for development of hangars at Navi Mumbai.

“Once the facilities are ready, existing private and charter aircraft hangars at Mumbai will be demolished and freed space will be used to build aeronautical assets. No parking will be available for charter planes at Mumbai airport with a very few exceptions,” said Arun Bansal, CEO of Adani Airport Holdings Ltd.

He added that those intending to operate charter flights to Mumbai would have to drop off guests and park the aircraft elsewhere. “We expect Navi Mumbai International Airport to be a preferable option,” he said.

Essar, Reliance and Tata groups have hangars at Mumbai. There are two maintenance repair and overhaul hangars belonging to Air Works and Indamer.

Reliance did not respond to an email while Tata group declined to comment. An Essar official said that the company is in discussion with the airport operator on the issue.

Business Aircraft Operators Association said the tender process for building hangars should not be anti-competitive.

Bansal said an open and transparent process is being followed for the auction. “We have informed all hangar operators of our intention to demolish existing facilities. We will discuss with all the operators who park their planes at Mumbai. We will assess their requirements. Parking charges at Navi Mumbai airport will be levied as per tariff that would be fixed by Airport Economic Regulatory Authority,” Bansal said.

In the first phase the Navi Mumbai airport will have limited parking stands as well as hangar space for non-scheduled operators. The facilities will be augmented based on demand.

At present there are around 20-25 parking bays for non-scheduled operators at Mumbai airport in addition to hangars.

Mumbai airport sees around 970-990 flight movements daily. These include 40-60 charter flights. Last year the Civil Aviation Ministry directed the airport operator to reduce peak hour movements from 46 to 44 flights to ease congestion. The capacity is even lower when secondary runway is in use.

Shifting of all non scheduled flights to Navi Mumbai airport will thus reduce flight delays further.

The general aviation terminal in Mumbai which is used for charter flights will continue to function as usual. The space freed up after shifting of hangars will be used to construct an additional taxiway. This will help in reducing runway occupancy time, Bansal said.