NEW DELHI

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has stepped in to pause Adani Airports’ proposed reduction in international flight operations at Mumbai’s Terminal 2, giving airlines and the airport operator until October 20 to finalise a transition plan for the redevelopment of Terminal 1.

The intervention follows strong opposition from airlines to Mumbai International Airport Ltd’s (MIAL) plan to cut 265 of Terminal 2’s 770 weekly international departure slots from October 26. The proposed reduction, equivalent to about 34% of international departure slots, would affect 46 carriers. IndiGo faces 74 slot cuts, Air India 33, and Emirates and Etihad Airways 10 each.

MIAL said the cuts are necessary to free up Terminal 2 facilities—including check-in counters, baggage belts, gates and office space—for domestic operations shifting from Terminal 1 during its phased redevelopment. The move is aimed at accommodating around five million additional passengers annually.

Airlines, however, have argued that the proposed timelines are too aggressive and operationally difficult to implement.

The civil aviation ministry has now asked Adani Airports, airlines and other stakeholders to reconvene and work out an “agreeable” and “win-win” transition plan. It has also directed Adani Airports to submit its request for the Major Development Plan for Terminal 1 redevelopment, a key requirement for taking the broader exercise forward.

Adani Airports has called a fresh stakeholder meeting on October 13. The ministry’s October 20 deadline gives airlines additional time to assess operational requirements and formulate a coordinated response.

The dispute is part of a larger reshuffle of Mumbai’s airport operations. Domestic traffic from Terminal 1 is to be shifted to Terminal 2, while some international services could eventually move to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has opposed any forced relocation, arguing that transfers should be voluntary and based on consultation.

IndiGo has raised its fuel surcharge for the third time since the West Asia conflict pushed up aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, with the revised levy applicable to bookings made from 0001 hours on October 6, 2026.

The airline said on Monday that ATF prices have remained volatile amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, with the latest month-on-month increase exceeding 14%. Fuel costs are now among the highest seen in a decade, IndiGo said, adding that ATF accounts for a significant share of its operating expenses.

IndiGo said the latest increase represents only a partial pass-through of higher fuel costs. A full pass-through, it said, would have required a significantly steeper increase. The airline described the revision as a “measured and relatively modest” adjustment.

The revised surcharge ranges from ₹375 to ₹1,300 for domestic flights, depending on distance. For journeys of up to 500 km, the charge has been raised to ₹375 from ₹275 under the schedule introduced in April. Flights between 501 km and 1,000 km will attract ₹600, against ₹400 earlier, while the charge for 1,001–1,500 km rises to ₹900 from ₹600.

For flights covering 1,501–2,000 km, the surcharge increases to ₹1,150 from ₹800, while journeys beyond 2,000 km will attract ₹1,300, up from ₹950.

The April schedule itself had replaced a flat domestic fuel surcharge introduced in March, underscoring the rapid escalation in fuel-cost pressures on airlines.

International surcharges have also been revised. The charge for SAARC destinations has increased to ₹1,000 and ₹3,000 across the applicable distance bands, from ₹900 and ₹2,500 earlier. IndiGo has also consolidated several international categories, with Southeast Asia, the GCC and Middle East, and North and East Asia now attracting a flat ₹5,500, compared with separate April rates ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000.

The surcharge for flights to Africa has been raised to ₹6,000 from ₹5,000, while the charge for Europe remains unchanged at ₹10,000.

IndiGo added that it will continue to monitor fuel prices and review the surcharge as market conditions evolve.

IIT Kanpur alumnus and IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal has committed an additional ₹300 crore towards the development of the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology at IIT Kanpur.

The contribution follows his earlier donation of ₹100 crore in 2022, which supported the institute’s initial plans to establish a medical school on its campus. Under the latest commitment, Gangwal will provide matching grants of up to ₹300 crore against contributions from other donors to support the School’s development.

The project envisages a 500-bed super-speciality hospital on the IIT Kanpur campus, along with a proposed 200-bed cancer care and research centre. These facilities are expected to strengthen medical education, clinical research and healthcare delivery, while fostering collaboration among doctors, researchers, engineers and technology experts to address emerging healthcare challenge, IIT said.

“Recognising the potential of interdisciplinary research and innovation in engineering technology and medicine to transform healthcare delivery across India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, IIT Kanpur ventured into establishing a medical school,” IIT Kanpur Director Prof. Manindra Agrawal said.

He noted that Gangwal’s initial ₹100 crore contribution in 2022 helped set the plans in motion and that the additional ₹300 crore would accelerate the realisation of the Institute’s vision.

Prof. Anil K. Lalwani, Dean of the Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, said the School’s vision of bringing medicine, technology and innovation together could have an impact well beyond the IIT Kanpur campus.

Gangwal said he was honoured and privileged to be associated with the innovative, first-of-its-kind medical institution.

The country’s largest airline IndiGo’s ticket booking system briefly faced issues on Friday (August 21, 2026) and people were unable to access online services.

On Wednesday (August 19, 2026) also, the airline’s booking system had experienced issues.

“We are currently experiencing intermittent issues with our core reservation platform, which may make it difficult for some customers to access our online services,” IndiGo said in a message on its website on Friday (August 21, 2026).

Teams are working on priority along with the partner to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, IndiGo said and regretted the inconvenience.

An official said the issues have been resolved and the system is functioning normally now.

The airline is using the Navitaire reservation system.

IndiGo operates around 2,200 flights daily connecting various domestic and international destinations.

In July, the carrier flew 80.82 lakh passengers on domestic routes, and the market share stood at 67.4 per cent.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday (August 19, 2026), IndiGo, in a post on X, said it was experiencing intermittent issues with the core reservation platform.

In December 2025, the airline had witnessed massive flight disruptions and later faced various regulatory actions.

An IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Chennai made an emergency landing at the Chennai airport on Tuesday (August 11, 2026) night, as one engine of the aircraft was found to be inoperative.

The flight from Kolkata with 224 passengers departed at 9.20 p.m. on Tuesday and was scheduled to arrive in Chennai at 11.30 p.m., according to a statement from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).  But before landing, the pilot informed the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at the Chennai airport that the left engine of the aircraft was inoperative and at 11.29 p.m., a full emergency was declared, the AAI said.

“Following the declaration of the full emergency, the necessary emergency response arrangements were initiated to facilitate the safe arrival of the aircraft,” the statement said. 

At 11.37 p.m., the aircraft landed safely at the Chennai airport. 

IndiGo, in a statement said: “ IndiGo flight 6E 723, operating from Kolkata to Chennai on August 11, 2026, experienced a technical snag shortly before landing in Chennai. Following standard operating procedures, all relevant authorities were immediately informed and the pilots made a priority landing at the Chennai International Airport.”.

The aircraft is currently undergoing necessary checks and maintenance and will resume operations after relevant clearances, the airline said.

IndiGo’s Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra on Monday (May 4, 2026) resigned to pursue opportunities outside the airline.

Mr. Malhotra will step down from his position and be relieved of his duties effective at the close of business hours on July 3, IndiGo said in a regulatory filing.

He is part of the leadership team at the country’s largest airline, which has seen top deck changes in recent times.

India’s new greenfield airport, Navi Mumbai (NMI), will be airlinked with Tamil Nadu from December 29, 2025, with Indigo beginning direct and daily flights from Chennai and Coimbatore.

An aviation source said the 186-seat all-economy class Airbus A320 services will be linked to the first phase of the airport’s operational hours, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. NMI is to have round-the-clock operations by February 2026.