Navi Mumbai Airport Reshapes Mumbai Diversion Pattern

Mumbai: The commissioning of Navi Mumbai airport last Dec is beginning to reshape diversion patterns in the Mumbai airspace, allowing flights from Mumbai and Navi Mumbai to divert to each other instead of heading to distant alternate airports in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa. This week, two flights diverted in this pattern and then flew between the two airports of the Mumbai metropolitan region, operating one of India’s shortest flights of 19 minutes’ duration. The same short diversions have started between Pune and Navi Mumbai as well.On May 21, a Star Air flight from Solapur to Mumbai was diverted to Navi Mumbai around 4 pm due to operational reasons. Two hours later, the aircraft operated from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai, with the flying time reported to be about 19 minutes. A similar situation arose on Friday involving an IndiGo aircraft operating from Madurai to Navi Mumbai. It was to land at Navi Mumbai at 6 pm, but it diverted to Mumbai. The aircraft later operated from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai. On Friday, a Kishangarh to Pune Star Air flight was diverted to Navi Mumbai. Three hours later, at 7.20 pm, the flight took off from Navi Mumbai and landed in Pune in 24 minutes. Navi Mumbai airport is not as congested as Mumbai airport, and so it is turning into the preferred airport to divert to. These diversions have unwittingly created one of the shortest commercial flight sectors operated in India, and the diversion between the two airports of Goa too makes for a short journey from the diverted airport to the original destination.Before Navi Mumbai airport became operational, flights unable to land in Mumbai due to congestion, weather or operational disruptions were typically diverted to airports such as Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Hyderabad or Goa, often resulting in long delays, additional fuel burn and inconvenience for passengers.Aviation experts, however, pointed out that airports located so close to each other are generally not preferred as primary alternates in flight planning because adverse weather affecting Mumbai could also impact Navi Mumbai at the same time. Despite that limitation, the presence of a second airport within the Mumbai metropolitan region gives airlines an additional nearby diversion option during certain operational situations, reducing disruption significantly. Industry observers said the arrangement could improve operational resilience in one of India’s busiest aviation corridors, especially during the monsoon season when diversions from Mumbai are frequent.