mumbai, Oct. 14 -- The proposed partial shifting of international flights from the Mumbai airport to the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has been deferred until the summer schedule beginning March 2027. The decision follows discussions between airport operator Adani Airports Holdings Ltd (AAHL) and airline representatives on Tuesday. The decision comes amid opposition from airlines to the proposed transition, linked to the redevelopment of Mumbai airport's Terminal 1 (T1), with the airport operator seeking to redistribute traffic between the two airports. Both the airports are owned by AAHL. AAHL had asked airlines to shift 33% of their international flights from the Mumbai airport to NMIA by October 25, 2026 coinciding with the start of the winter schedule. According to a statement issued by Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) on Tuesday, at the meeting, AAHL's top leadership, including Jeet Adani and Arun Bansal, assured the airline community that disruptions would be minimised and historical slot allocations would be respected, with no changes to slots during the winter schedule. As part of the next steps, a joint working group will work over the next two weeks to prepare an implementation plan for the redevelopment of the ageing T1 infrastructure. "Full support ensured for any airline wanting to shift any operations to NMIA," MIAL said, adding that both sides had agreed to hold a follow-up meeting on October 28. Tuesday's meeting followed a stakeholders' meeting chaired by civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha on October 6, at which it was decided that further discussions would be held with airlines on the transition plan on October 13. "With the redevelopment plan shifted to March, airlines are expected to transition their international operations in a phased manner," an official aware of the development said. The civil aviation secretary will review the transition plan at a meeting on October 20. "Airlines have also asked AAHL to share its full plan for the redevelopment of T1," the official added. A further meeting between AAHL executives and airline representatives is scheduled for October 28 to address any pending issues. The reconstruction of T1 is expected to commence in January 2027 and take around three years. However, according to a consultation paper submitted by MIAL to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) in 2025, demolition of T1 was planned to begin in November 2025, with construction expected to be completed by September 2028. MIAL had said in the paper that T1, which was around 65 years old, had developed various defects, including structural distress and seepage and leakage, which could not be addressed through repair work. The greenfield airport, NMIA, commenced domestic commercial operations from December last year and international services from July this year....