New Delhi: Adani Airports has no plans to enter the airline business, clarified CEO Arun Bansal saying competing with its customers would not be a sound business strategy.
“Not a good strategy to compete with customers,” Bansal said at the Aviation India 2026 summit on Tuesday, amid speculation over the Adani Group’s possible entry into the aviation sector as an airline operator.
“Airlines need to make money for us to make money. We will support them in every way,” he said, adding that India was large enough to support three national carriers.
Bansal’s remarks come amid an ongoing standoff between airport operator Adani Airports and airlines over the proposed shifting of flight operations from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).
He said airlines have until November 5 to decide whether to shift operations to NMIA, adding that some services could be suspended if carriers refuse to move. The deadline is significant as airlines’ summer schedules are to be finalised around this time.
Adani Airports wants to shift airline capacity from CSMIA’s Terminal 1 to NMIA to facilitate the redevelopment of the existing terminal, which is targeted for completion by early 2030.
“I fully respect airlines’ positions, but change is resisted. It is human nature,” Bansal said, adding that Mumbai was already late in developing a second airport.
Describing the existing airport infrastructure as a safety concern, he said the airport had been operating with temporary fixes and that redevelopment could no longer be delayed. The revamped Terminal 1 is envisaged to be at par with London’s Gatwick Airport.
Bansal also said Adani Airports would participate in the next round of privatisation involving 11 airports. He added that the company was working with consultants to assess air traffic movement and align terminal and airside capacity.
