Government sources said Fadnavis' intervention was driven by the importance of Mumbai’s airport operations. (Source: FB)For days, Adani Group’s plan to shift 14 international routes from Mumbai airport to Navi Mumbai airport has pitted it against some of the world’s biggest airlines. Now, the Maharashtra chief minister has stepped in.Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, suggesting that Mumbai airport’s Terminal 1 be rebuilt in phases, not shut at once, an alternative to the Adani-run operator’s plan to temporarily move flights to 14 international destinations, including Doha, Jeddah, Dhaka and Kathmandu, to the new Navi Mumbai airport, about 40 km away, from March 2027.In a letter to the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Devendra Fadnavis said, “I have written to the Ministry to develop Terminal 1B, shift operations from 1A to 1B and then demolish the existing 1A.”Government sources said the intervention was driven by the importance of Mumbai’s airport operations, given the city’s position as the country’s financial capital. “Any hasty move would boomerang given the significance of Mumbai. Moreover, Mumbai airport has its own significance and facilities which cannot be left underutilised,” a source said.Fadnavis’ intervention amid Adani’s proposal to move 14 international routes to Navi Mumbai airport comes as Gulf carriers have approached the Civil Aviation Ministry (MoCA) seeking clarity on whether it has approved Mumbai International Airport Ltd’s (MIAL) proposal to shift flights to 14 international destinations from Mumbai to NMIA.The airlines, under the aegis of the Airline Operators Committee (AOC) Mumbai, also sought the Ministry’s intervention to restore their historical slots.In an October 30 letter to the Ministry, MIAL defended the proposed shift from the beginning of the Summer Schedule 2027 in March, arguing that consolidating flights to the 14 destinations at one airport would “minimise passenger inconvenience and ensure seamless onward connections” during the T1B redevelopment.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Adani’s Mumbai airport proposal runs into a roadblock; airlines knock on Centre’s doorMIAL had initially proposed a 33 percent reduction in Terminal 2’s capacity, involving temporary discontinuation of 265 of its 770 weekly international flights.Airlines and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) opposed the proposal, citing operational constraints, following which MoCA directed stakeholders to work out a “mutually agreeable” transition plan.Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) had previously maintained that the 60-year-old terminal requires redevelopment over structural safety concerns – flagged in audits. The project is expected to affect five million passengers annually, while the remaining 91 per cent of airport traffic would remain unaffected. The redeveloped T1 is expected to reopen by December 2030. As per sources, the Civil Aviation Ministry is currently weighing the objections.