NEW DELHI: Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) has requested the government to treat Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports as a single unit for calculating tariffs for passengers and airlines, according to documents reviewed by The Economic Times.Should the government approve this proposal, it would establish uniform charges across both airports, potentially increasing traffic flow at Navi Mumbai. This outcome is particularly significant for AAHL, considering their Rs 16,700 crore investment in the facility’s construction.Despite AAHL’s ownership of both airports, Navi Mumbai is set to have notably higher passenger fees, landing and parking charges. This disparity could discourage airlines from transitioning to the new airport, which is scheduled to commence commercial operations in July.The organisation references a 2021 amendment to the AERA Act that permits airport grouping and unified designation. This legislation was initially implemented to facilitate privatisation of smaller, unprofitable airports by combining them with larger, regional counterparts to enhance investor appeal.“Since there has been a large capital invested in Navi Mumbai, which is a green field airport, naturally tariff at the airport will be significantly higher than Mumbai, which is an established airport where capex is low and there are depreciating assets,” a source familiar with the matter told ET.“If both the airports’ tariffs are calculated as one unit, the charges at both airports will be average of the two, bringing parity,” the source added.The airport is set to launch commercial operations in late 2025, with IndiGo becoming the first airline to begin flights. The airline will start with 18 daily departures to over 15 cities, scaling up to 79 daily departures—including 14 international flights—by November 2025, and further doubling to 140 daily departures by November 2026.The opening comes as Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) plans to begin the revamp of Terminal 1 in October, prompting the relocation of around 15 million passengers to Terminal 2 and Navi Mumbai airport.Sources say one reason Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) is encouraging more airline operations at Navi Mumbai is due to the difference in revenue sharing agreements. MIAL pays 38.7% of its revenue to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), while Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd (NMIAL) only pays 12.6% to Maharashtra’s CIDCO.The greenfield Navi Mumbai airport, spanning 1,160 hectares, will initially handle 20 million passengers and 0.5 million tonnes of cargo annually, with a long-term capacity of up to 90 million passengers and 3.2 million tonnes of cargo. It will feature two parallel runways capable of simultaneous takeoffs and landings, including a 3,700-meter runway for large aircraft.The airport’s launch is expected to ease congestion at Mumbai Airport and improve the overall passenger experience, creating a dual-airport system for India’s financial capital.
