Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai Crisis Latest Update: After the travel restrictions were relaxed post-COVID pandemic, airports around the country are witnessing a rapid surge in air traffic. It happened so much that the Mumbai Airport, which is one of India’s busiest airports, is now witnessing a huge rush in air traffic. The massive rush on the runways has led to airspace congestion and prolonged circling times for flights at Mumbai airport. The massive jam also compelled the flights to hover over the city for extended periods, causing concerns about fuel wastage and operational efficiency.
Because of the runway congestion, the flights were forced to circle over the city for extended periods, ranging from 40 to 60 minutes. This not only affects the flight schedules but also increases fuel consumption. In general, an aircraft consumes 2000kg of fuel per hour. As the circling times of flight continues for 40 to 60 minutes, this leads to substantial fuel wastage, ranging from 1.7 to 2.5 kilolitres of jet fuel. This wastage of fuel inevitably leads to increased costs for airlines, ultimately passed on to consumers.
To understand the main challenges of airspace congestion in Mumbai, the Airport Authority of India conducted an analysis recently. Some of the crucial factors that were revealed include excessive slot distribution with limited time margins, non-adherence to allotted slots by airlines, and non-scheduled operations during peak hours.
To address the Mumbai airport congestion, the Ministry of Civil Aviation took action and issued directives to the airport operator through Notice to Air Men (NOTAMs) on January 2, 2024. The ministry directed the authorities to restrict air traffic movements during peak hours, both in High Intensity Runway Operations (HIRO) and non-HIRO periods. Moreover, the restrictions were placed on general aviation aircraft operations during HIRO periods.
Because of the airport congestion, several airlines are cancelling nearly 40 flights per day till March 30 after the directive issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to the Mumbai airport to ease runway congestion.
Airport officials said overall, only about three per cent of the daily flights being handled at the Mumbai airport have been cut. “The airport handles 1000 movements a day and about 30 movements will be cut (including both arrivals and departures). Even with this cut, the airport will be operating at full capacity,” an official told Business Standard.
In the meantime, Akasa Air announced it was cancelling 90 Mumbai flights till the end of next month. SpiceJet also said it has complied with the government’s directive, but did not specify the number of flights it was cancelling.
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