New Delhi, Nov 3 It is never a good strategy to compete with your customers, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) CEO Arun Bansal said on Tuesday on whether the company plans to enter airline business.
Airlines are the customers of AAHL and “it is never a good strategy to compete with your customers,” he said in response to a question on whether there are plans to foray into airline business.
He also made it clear that AAHL and Adani Group should be segregated in this context.
There were reports that the Adani Group is keen to get into the airline business. The group, however, denied such reports.
Amid foreign airlines approaching the civil aviation ministry on shifting of international flights from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai airport, Bansal on Tuesday said if the ministry gives some guidance, then it will be followed.
With differences continuing, foreign carriers have written to the ministry regarding retaining of slots at the Mumbai airport.
Responding to a question in this regard, Bansal said nothing stops the airlines from going to the government.
“… (if) the government gives us some guidance, we will follow,” he said on the sidelines of a conference in the national capital.
To a question on the way forward on the issue, Bansal said the airlines have to stop operating flights from the Mumbai airport.
He gave an example that if his landlord tells him to vacate the place, he has to leave but the landlord cannot tell him to stay at his place. “That is my choice,” he added.
“Same we are telling airlines… vacate from April,” he said.
Mumbai airport operator Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has requested the airlines to provide their transition plans to Navi Mumbai airport.
MIAL initially planned to implement the partial shifting of international operations from October 25 and later deferred the deadline till March 2027 following concerns raised by various foreign airlines about the transition plan.
At the same time, Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, and Akasa Air jointly with AAHL have announced shifting their international operations to NMIA in a phased manner in the coming months.
Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports are part of AAHL.
Meanwhile, during a session at the conference, Bansal said AAHL will explore opportunities in the privatisation of existing airports in the country and indicated that it was unlikely to look for airports overseas unless there is a compelling opportunity that is difficult to ignore.
“(On) domestic (front), we want to consolidate ourselves. We want to participate in all the privatisation phases or the (building) of second airports (at cities), make ourselves relevant, make ourselves healthy enough so that we can compete as a big player internationally,” he added.
AAHL, which currently has eight airports in its portfolio, handles around 100 million passengers annually and expects to increase this number to 300 million.
AAHL will participate in the privatisation process for airports and aims to handle 300 million passengers annually at its airports in the next ten years, said Bansal, while addressing a session at the Aviation India and South Asia 2026 conference in the national capital.
Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports are part of AAHL.
Bansal said work is on to increase airside capacity at the Mumbai airport and that the renovation of Terminal 1 expected to be completed in early 2030.
(PTI News)
