In a recent decree from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has been directed to curtail the volume of flights due to the prevalent “congestion and surplus capacity on its runways.”

The Aviation Ministry, in a nocturnal edict, asserted that the airport in Mumbai, holding a prime position as one of the nation’s most bustling aviation hubs, grapples with runway congestion and an excess of capacity. This situation inadvertently results in air space congestion, compelling flights to linger over the city for an extended period, ranging from 40 to 60 minutes.

The directive highlighted the consequential fuel wastage, estimating a substantial cost ranging from Rs 1.8-2.6 lakhs, a burden that would inevitably be shouldered by the end consumers.

Conducting an analysis to address air space congestion in Mumbai, the Air Authority of India, responsible for air navigation services, discovered that the hourly air traffic allowance during the six hours of ‘high intensity runway operations’ (HIRO) from 8-11 am and 5-8 pm closely mirrored the allowance during the remaining 18 hours of the day. Furthermore, the operations of general aviation (charters) and military aircraft were permitted without restrictions. Additionally, the presence of transverse (cross) runways exacerbated air traffic congestion during peak hours, especially with the operation of non-scheduled flights.

Despite Mumbai Airport functioning at full capacity, the persistent congestion was attributed to factors such as “excessive slot distribution with limited time margins by the airport operator, non-adherence of slots by airlines, and non-scheduled operations during peak hours.”

The directive assigned blame to the ‘airport operator’ for mismanagement, emphasizing that as the slot provider and manager of slots to the airlines, proactive measures should have been taken to streamline and regulate air traffic movements to resolve this predicament.

In response to the situation, the Airport Authority of India issued directives to the airport operator through Notice to Air Men (NOTAMs) on January 2, 2024. These directives restricted air traffic movements during HIRO (from 8-11 AM, 5-8 PM & 9.15-11.15 PM) from 46 to 44 per hour and during non-HIRO periods from 44 to 42 per hour.

The directive further stated, “General aviation aircraft operations during HIRO period have also been curtailed. Immediate action is anticipated from MIAL to ensure compliance with the prescribed restrictions by all airlines.”