Mumbai ATC Managed 25% Traffic Surge, 60% Rise Over Arabian Sea; IATA Lauds Response

Mumbai Air Traffic Control (ATC) managed 25% overnight surge in its airspace traffic and 60% in oceanic traffic, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA), while commending Mumbai ATC's handling of the traffic surge during the escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. It also commended Mumbai Airport's decision to form a coordination committee to continue to historic airline slots and expand the deadline to halt cargo operations.

IATA inaugurated its 81st annual general meeting and the World Air Transport Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Sunday. On the first day of the three-day summit, IATA released the ‘Aviation In India’ report highlighting India’s achievements as the third largest market in global aviation and the sixth largest in air cargo. The report highlighted that aviation sector provides 7.7 million jobs and contributes USD53.6 billion to the country’s GDP, amounting to 1.5% of the total GDP. 

During the release of the report IATA’s country director for India, Nepal and Bhutan Amitabh Khosla commended the Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) effective management of the air traffic during the recent surge in volume over Arabian Sea oceanic airspace and Mumbai flight information region (FIR), a designated area of airspace where ATC provides information and alerting services. According to IATA, there was a 25% overnight surge in air traffic in Mumbai FIR and 60% in oceanic airspace, as the tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following India’s Operation Sindoor as a revenge against the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

IATA also commended Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), the operator of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, for being a pioneer in setting up a coordination committee to address the airlines’ concerns about the slot cuts. It also appreciated its decision to extend the deadline to halt freighter airline operations at CSMIA’s Terminal-1.  The Free Press Journal had reported on May 15 that MIAL reversed its earlier decision of slot cuts in the winter season and shutting down freighter operations, after being criticised for the decisions.

“We commend AAI, as India’s air navigation services provider, for its effective management of the overnight surge in air traffic, specially in Mumbai FIR. We also commend MIAL for setting up first such coordination committee respecting the airlines’ historics as well as extending the cargo deadlines beyond August,” said Khosla.

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