30.1.13

CSIA makeover



Around December, international passengers will move to T2, a brand new terminal that has been in the making for the last six-seven years at the foreground of the Sahar international terminal.
Described as the “most iconic development in recent times” by the airport operator, it will be far more spacious, aesthetic and convenient to use, what with more check-in, immigration and security counters that promise to shorten queues and cut stress. For one: currently only nine aircraft can dock at a time at the international terminal. The partially completed new terminal will have a capacity to handle 18.
“After the operations are moved, the existing international terminals will be demolished to make way for the southeast tier of the new terminal,’’ said a Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) spokesperson. By the end of 2014, the integrated terminal will be completed and will handle both international and domestic flights.
The new terminal will eventually have two arms or tiers — the southwest tier and the southeast tier — with aerobridges. Almost all flights will get an aerobridge and so the practice of using of coaches to transfer passengers will be over.

On the flip side is capacity constraint. Space-starved Mumbai can afford an airport that can handle only up to 40 million passengers every year. Even by domestic standards, it’s not an impressive number. Delhi airport can already handle 46 million passengers a year; when fully ready, it can manage 100 million. Even Hyderabad airport, which handled only 8 million passengers in 2011-2012 as compared to Mumbai’s 30 million (for 2012), will have the capacity for 40 million passengers when its final phase is complete.
In the global arena, Mumbai airport is petite when compared to say Al Maktoum, the behemoth coming up in Dubai. When complete, it will be able to handle 160 million passengers/year, four times the handling capacity of Mumbai.
Dubai’s present airport saw a 13.2% increase in passenger traffic last year, making it the world’s third busiest airport for international traffic. The largest chunk of its passengers came from India — 7.34 million, marking a 7.4% increase — mainly because Indians largely took a transit halt in Dubai when flying to different parts of the world.

Once it settles down, the existing tower will make way for a new parallel taxiway next to the secondary runway to enhance its efficiency
The new tower coming up on 1,200 sq m in the forecourt of the domestic terminal in Vile Parle is 83 m high, ie equivalent to a 30-storey building. It is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2013. The tower will be operational within 6 months of handover by the Mumbai airport authorities to the Airports Authority of India
The new tower, much taller than the old one and with a cabin that will give the traffic controllers a clear line of sight, will afford views extending beyond 5 miles from each of the runway start and end points


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