IndiGo offers a deal in return for flying international from Chandigarh, wants slots at Mumbai airport

Budget-carrier IndiGo wants to make a deal with the airport authorities and in return, it wants take-off and landing slots at Mumbai airport.

IndiGo has said that it would launch international flights out of Chandigarh if the airport authorities grant the airline take-off and landing slots at busy Mumbai airport.

As ET report quoted a civil aviation ministry official saying that IndiGo wants to make this deal.

The Mumbai airport is busiest during peak hours as only one runway handles 50 aircraft takeoffs and landings every hour.

"IndiGo wants slots at Mumbai airport in return for launching international flights out of Chandigarh airport. Chandigarh is an airport owned by Airports Authority of India, while Mumbai is run by a private operator," the official told ET.

Meanwhile, even Air India was looking for the slots at the Mumbai airport for new flight by Alliance Air, which was denied.

"It seems that Mumbai airport is not in favour of any new launches by smaller aircraft of Alliance Air (ATRs and CRJs). How can you connect smaller PLACES in the region around Mumbai if you do not allow flights by smaller aircraft," a senior Air India executive told ET, requesting anonymity.

Mumbai airport is run by Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) - a consortium that HAS Hyderabad-based GVK Group as the lead partner.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai airport’s burden will likely get reduced when the Navi Mumbai airport project, which will be the second airport for the city, get over by October 2019.

"Even if it is constructed in three years, the aviation activity out of Mumbai will be totally impacted for the next over three years. Airlines will have to operate bigger planes to increase slot utilisation by carrying more passengers in the same flight," one executive, who did not want to be named, told ET.