Challenge suspends Navi Mumbai freighters due to operational challenges

Freighter operator Challenge Group has suspended its freighter flights to the recently opened Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) as the Indian airport faces operational challenges. Challenge Group said in a LinkedIn post that the current operational setup “does not yet enable us to deliver our cargo services with the level of reliability and certainty we require”. “While the circumstances leading to this situation are outside our control, the decision to suspend our service is a deliberate one,” it added. “Protecting our customers, their cargo and the reliability of their supply chains remains our priority. Our teams are actively evaluating alternative options to maintain strong connectivity between India and our international network, and we expect to communicate details of a new service to the market shortly. “We remain committed to Mumbai and look forward to resuming our operations once the necessary conditions are in place to support our cargo services reliably and effectively.” Freighter operators have been asked to temporarily move their flights from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to NMIA while work is carried out on cargo infrastructure at CSMIA. The work is expected to take 10 months and was due to start in August. However, the move has been met with criticism, with local cargo groups arguing that it is not yet a viable alternative. On social media, others have pointed out that the airport has poor connectivity with Mumbai and takes around 2.5-3 hours to reach the city. Others have said the switch to the new airport happened in a rush and there was not time to ensure all operational processes were ready for the move. NMIA opened its doors back in December, but freighter operations did not get underway until 1 August, when an IndiGo freighter took off from the airport. Silk Way West, Cathay Cargo, Hong Kong Air Cargo have all confirmed the shift of their freighter operations to the new airport, while Lufthansa Cargo is also understood to have shifted its operations to the new airport.