Saturday, May 18

“Absolutely Unthinkable”: Priyanka Chaturvedi Criticizes Adani Group Over Mumbai Airport Mismanagement

Edited by Aishwarya Krishnan
"Absolutely Unthinkable": Priyanka Chaturvedi Criticizes Adani Group Over Mumbai Airport Mismanagement

MP and deputy leader of Shiv Sena in Rajya Sabha, Priyanka Chaturvedi took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to criticise the Adani Group’s mismanagement in handling the operations at the Mumbai airport, amid orders from the government to cancel flights due to congestion and poor on-time departures.

The government has asked Mumbai airport to reduce the number of scheduled flights and restrict the movement of business jets during rush hours in an effort to reduce congestion and improve on-time departures. The move will force airlines to cut around 40 flights and hit operations of chartered jets used by India’s top business firms.

Citing poor impact on connectivity and businesses, Chaturvedi stated, “Instead of holding the group to account it is making the passengers suffer.”

The restrictions at Mumbai airport, the financial hub of India, has been actively opposed by top corporate groups and jet operators. With the Navi Mumbai Airport expected to be operational by early next year, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) remains as the city’s only airport as traffic worsens.

Sudden cancellations will also lead to losses, affecting airline network planners’ ability to redeploy aircrafts. The decision is expected to have significant impact on the aviation industry especially for businesses, affecting the functionality of the country’s commercial hub.

Extension on the curfew on operation of business jets from four to eight hours have led to protests from top business firms including Reliance Industries, Jindal South West (JSW) and the Mahindra group. The Airport Authority of India has requested the government to reduce aircraft movement from 46 to 44 during rush hour and from 44 to 42 during non-peak hours.

Owned by the Adani Group, the airport is the second busiest in the country, succeeding Delhi. CSMIA operates more flights than any other with a single runway. In December, it handled its highest-monthly traffic of over 4.88 million passengers.