The Union government has put on hold a plan by Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to cut international departures from Terminal 2 by 33 per cent, after airlines pushed back against the move, sources said.

The decision came on Tuesday, the deadline the airport operator had set for airlines to choose which international flights they would give up from October 25.

At a meeting chaired by Union Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Sinha on Tuesday afternoon, the Ministry of Civil Aviation directed Adani Airports Holdings Limited (AAHL), which runs CSMIA, to call another meeting of all stakeholders and draw up a fresh transition plan, according to those familiar with the matter. Airlines and industry bodies, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), attended the meeting.

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AAHL will now seek approvals from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and state authorities before it goes ahead with a revised plan, sources said.

The airport operator had told airlines it would cut 265 weekly international departures from Terminal 2 from October 25, to make room for domestic flights moving in from Terminal 1B. Indian carriers accounted for 125 of these. IndiGo would have lost 74 flights, Air India 33, Akasa Air 11 and Air India Express seven. The remaining 140 belonged to foreign airlines.

Airlines were asked to volunteer the slots they would temporarily drop by October 6. If they didn’t, the operator said it would pick the slots itself based on operational considerations.

This followed an earlier directive from the operator asking airlines to either move their Terminal 1B operations to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) or suspend them from October 25.

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Airlines objected, citing the impact on existing operations. IATA also sought a transparent assessment of NMIA’s capacity before flights were shifted there, covering ground handling, cargo facilities, crew accommodation and connectivity.

The changes are tied to the planned demolition of the northern section of Terminal 1B in January 2027. That section handles around five million passengers a year, nearly a third of Terminal 1’s footfall. Redevelopment of the terminal is expected to be completed by 2029-30.

The airport operator, airlines and other stakeholders will now discuss a fresh plan before any operational changes are made.