Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

History

RAF Santacruz was set up in 1942. It was a bigger airfield than Juhu and was home to several RAF squadrons during World War II from 1942 to 1947. The Airport covered an area of about 1,500 acres (610 ha) and initially had three runways. The apron existed on the south side of runway 09/27, and the area, referred to today as the "Old Airport", houses, among others, maintenance hangars of Air India, Air Works India and MIAL's General Aviation Terminal.

By 1946, when the RAF began the process of handing over the airfield to the Director General of Civil Aviation for Civil operations, two old abandoned hangars of the Royal Air Force had been converted into a terminal for passenger traffic. One hangar was used as a domestic terminal and the other for international traffic. It had counters for customs and immigration checks on either side and a lounge in the centre. Air India handled its passengers in its own terminal adjoining the two hangars. In its first year, it handled six civilian services a day.

Traffic at the airport increased after Karachi was partitioned to Pakistan and as many as 40 daily domestic and foreign services operated by 1949, prompting the Indian Government to develop the airport, equipping the airport with a night landing system comprising a Radio range and a modernised flare path lighting system Construction of a new passenger terminal and apron began in 1950 and was commissioned in 1958. Named after the neighbourhood in which it stood and initially under the aegis of the Public Works Department, the new airport was subsequently run by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

A major fire gutted the International section of the terminal building on 21 September 1979, killing three passengers and shutting down the airport. A temporary departure extension or "Gulf Terminal" was made functional in October that year until the terminal was repaired.

With the dawning of the Jumbo Jet era in the 1970s, Santacruz, despite several extensions, began suffering from insufficient operational capacity. The Tata committee, set up in 1967 to examine the issues concerning the airport, had recommended the construction of a new international terminal to meet the requirements of traffic in the seventies. The Santa Cruz terminal was to be used for domestic traffic alone. The International Airport Authority of India (IAAI), which was set up in 1972, started planning the construction of a new terminal building for handling international passenger traffic, to be completed by 1981. Accordingly, construction of the new International terminal at Sahar to the north-east of Santacruz in Andheri was taken up at an estimated cost of ₹ 110 million.

AAI had been considering the modernisation of Mumbai airport in 1996 although the AAI board approved a modernisation proposal only in 2003. By then, Mumbai and Delhi airports were handling 38% of the country's aircraft movement and generating one third of all revenues earned by AAI. At that time, Mumbai airport handled 13.3 million passengers, 60% of which were domestic travellers. The airport faced severe congestion for both aircraft and passengers as it was handling twice as many aircraft movements per day than it was originally designed for. The bidding process for its modernisation eventually began in May 2004 with the decision by the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) was announced in January 2006.

The consortium of GVK Industries Ltd, Airports Company South Africa and Bidvest, won the bid to manage and operate CSIA. To accomplish this task, Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL), a Joint Venture between the consortium (74%) and the Airports Authority of India (26%) was formed. Since then, MIAL has made several improvements in the aesthetics, design and passenger conveniences at CSIA including the refurbishment of domestic terminals 1A & 1B, international terminals 2B & 2C and the opening of a brand new domestic terminal 1C and Terminal 2. MIAL also undertook airside improvement projects such as the commissioning of new taxiways, aprons and the reconstruction of both runways. In February 2008, MIAL entered into an agreement with Air Transport IT specialist SITA that led to CSIA becoming the first airport in India to Implement Common-use self-service Kiosks and CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) check-in systems.

Structure

The airport consists of two passenger terminals: Terminal 1 at Santacruz for domestic flights and Terminal 2 at Sahar for both international and domestic flights. While both terminals use the same airside facilities, they are physically separated on the cityside, requiring a 15–20-minute (landside) drive between them. MIAL operates coach shuttle services between the two terminals for the convenience of transit passengers.

Runways

The airport has two intersecting runways. Both runways have been upgraded to Code F, which means they can accommodate larger aircraft like the Airbus A380. Following a presentation in March 2011 by UK’s air traffic service provider NATS on how the capacity of the airport can be increased, MIAL set a target of 48 aircraft movements an hour in an effort to reduce congestion at the airport. Both runways were operated simultaneously especially during peak hours to try and attain this target. MIAL scrapped simultaneous Cross-runway flight operations in mid-2013 after it found that single runway operations were more effective for increasing Aircraft movements per hour. Runway 14/32 is now used only when the main runway is unavailable due to maintenance or other reasons. The construction of new rapid exit taxiways helped in increasing flight handling capacity from 32 movements per hour to 44 in 2012.

Issues with utilising 14/32 are:

MIAL was considering constructing a second parallel runway as part of its master plan. However, the construction of this runway would necessitate a large-scale relocation of either Air-India's hangars and maintenance facilities or the airport's flight kitchens and the Sahar police station, among others, depending on its alignment. The parallel runway remains an active part of the expansion plan but in the meantime the cross runway is being upgraded as much as possible.

Air traffic control tower

India's tallest Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower with a height of 85 m (279 ft) stands in a section of the parking area opposite terminal 1B. The triangular three-dimensional structure with soft vertices that won the Hong Kong Building Information Modeling (BIM) Award for the year 2009, has six storeys commencing from 62.1 m (204 ft) The tower was inaugurated on 18 October 2013 and took over operations on 1 January 2014.

From the new tower, air traffic controllers are able to see 8 km (5 mi) beyond the thresholds of both runways. The tower and its associated technical block and mechanical plant building cover a total of 2,884 m² (31,040 sq ft). The cost of the fully equipped tower is estimated at ₹ 4 billion.

The previous ATC tower, built by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at an overall project cost of about ₹ 2.80 billion, was functional from 1999 to 2013. During that period, many airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Saudi, Qantas and United avoided landing at Mumbai airport when the secondary runway was in use as the ATC tower was too close to the runway and not in compliance with ICAO Standards. The tower penetrated runway 14/32's transitional obstacle limitation surfaces by over 50 metres (for instrument approaches). The tower also obstructed the path of a parallel taxiway under construction for the secondary runway. MIAL demolished the tower in 2014.

Terminals

The airport has two main passenger terminal complexes. Terminal 1 at Santacruz is dedicated for domestic passengers. The new Terminal 2 at Sahar is an integrated terminal catering to both international and domestic passengers.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 is used for domestic flights. This was the original Santacruz building that was once used for international and domestic operations and was previously known as 1B. It was refurbished several times over the decades, the most recent being during the 2000s. It is used by SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo. The terminal has 11 passenger boarding bridges. MIAL renamed the T1B to T1 in January 2017 to help fliers identify it easily. Several airlines operate airconditioned Cerita buses owned by BEST to ferry passengers between the terminal and aircraft.

Terminal 2

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) was awarded the contract to construct the new Terminal 2. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) was the architectural designer of the project. SOM also provided the schematic design of structure and MEP and the detailed structural design of the roof. Detailed design of the foundations and the rest of the structure and civil works, the MEP, IT and airport systems, including the full construction documentation of the project was carried out by L&T's inhouse design team, EDRC (Engineering Design and Research Center). The terminal covers a land area of 210,000 square metres and will replace the existing International Terminal (part of which has already been demolished). The entire project was estimated to cost ₹98 billion (US$1.5 billion) and employ over 12,000 workers. The X-shaped terminal has a total floor area of 450,000 square metres across four floors and will eventually handle both domestic and international passengers. It will include new taxiways and apron areas for aircraft parking designed to cater to 40 million passengers annually. The iconic structure will have boarding gates on two piers extending southwards from a central processing building featuring a 42-metre high roof employing over 20,000 metric tonnes of fabricated steel covering 30 acres. The new T2 terminal building operates Multiple Aircraft Ramp System (MARS) stands and swing gates, so that a single stand can accommodate either one wide body aircraft or two narrow body aircraft, in either domestic or international configuration. The new terminal is connected by the six-lane Sahar Elevated Access Road to the Western Express Highway. A metro rail link to the terminal is also planned.

The new terminal has around 21,000 square meters of retail space, lounges and travel services, over 5,000 square meters of landscaping and a multi level car park for 5,000 cars. The parking Management System and Revenue control system for the entire MLCP has been designed and supplied by SKIDATA. It has 192 check-in counters and 60 immigration counters for departing passengers, and 14 baggage carousels and 76 immigration counters for arriving passengers. To transfer passengers across its four levels, the building has 48 escalators and 75 elevators. The terminal also features 42 travelators. In the initial phase of development, the apron adjoining T2 will provide a total of 48 stands including 3 Code F stands (for the A-380). In the final phase of development a total of 38 Code E/F contact stands, 14 Code E/F remote stands and 20 Code C remote stands will be provided (total 72 stands).

The GVK Lounge, the first common luxury lounge at an airport in India, opened in November 2014. The lounge is open to First class and Business class travellers and can accommodate 440 guests at a time.. It is spread over 30,000 square feet across two levels of the terminal and has a library, a business centre and fine-dining options, apart from the usual facilities like concierge services, smoking zone, Food and Beverage, bar, luxury spa, shower area and a relaxation area. The luxury lounge has won the ‘World’s Leading Airport Lounge – First Class 2015’ award at the World Travel Awards 2015 held in Morocco.

The terminal also houses the Niranta Airport Transit Hotel and the 32 room hotel is the first of its kind in the country. It is located on Level 1 of the terminal and rooms may be booked by passengers who have checked into the airport.

The old international terminal was closed permanently at 13:00 on 12 February 2014, and international operations from the new terminal commenced from the same day. The first arrival was Air India flight 343 from Singapore via Chennai, and the first departure was Jet Airways flight 118. Construction is underway to build the remaining piers of T2 and it is expected to open to the public in 2015. Dedicated domestic operations at T2 were launched on 9 January 2015, with the inaugural flight of Vistara arriving from Delhi. Vistara initially operated from level 4 of the terminal, which is being used by international passengers. In July 2015, they shifted to level 3, which will be used exclusively for domestic operations. Air India shifted all its domestic operations from Terminal 1B to T2 on 1 October 2015 making it the second airline to operate domestic flights from the T2 Terminal, to ease their International and Domestic Transfer Passenger. Jet airways shifted its domestic operations to T2 on 15 March 2016, facilitating a seamless transfer experience for its passengers. Indigo airlines wished to continue their operations in Terminal 1B.

Car Parking & Passenger Arrivals All vehicles arriving at T2 to pick up arriving passengers are routed via the Multi Level Car Park and are charged a fee to counter traffic congestion at the airport. Vehicles are charged a minimum fee of Rs 110/- for 30 minutes.

General Aviation Terminal

CSIA's General Aviation Terminal for private and non-scheduled flight operators (NSOPs) is located at Kalina on the south-west side of the airfield. The terminal was approved for international operations in April 2011, making CSIA the first airport in India to have a self-contained terminal for handling round the clock domestic and international flight operations for private and NSOPs. The terminal offers facilities for passengers departing and arriving on private aircraft and business jets. The terminal has two exclusive lounges, two conference halls, two crew rest rooms and a café bar.

Terminal 1A, B & C

When Sahar terminal was opened in the 80's. The terminal at Santacruz reverted to being a domestic terminal. The terminal consisted of three Structures, 1A, 1B and 1C.

In January 2017, MIAL renamed the Terminal 1B as T1.

Old Terminal 2

Terminal 2 of the airport is located at Sahar Village, in Andheri (East). Designed by Aéroports de Paris and opened in January 1981, Terminal 2 was built in three modular phases as 2-A, 2-B, and 2-C. Each module had a capacity of 2.5 million passengers. This terminal had an area of 120,000 m² (1,300,000 sq ft). The original terminal was a convex shaped single concourse building with 14 Code E contact stands. The greater T2 apron also provided a further 15 Code D/E and 6 Code C remote stands. This gave a total of 35 stands on the existing apron.

Cargo

The Air Cargo Complex, located west of the International passenger Terminal (T2), has been in operation since 1977. The cargo apron is capable of handling five wide-bodied aircraft. In 2009–10, the airport handled 385,937 metric tones of International Cargo and 165,252 metric tones of Domestic Cargo. Air India (AI) and Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) have been appointed as custodians of cargo by the Central Board of Excise and Customs at Mumbai. The Cargo Terminal has a Centre for Perishable Cargo (CPC) with an area of 1844 m² for perishable and temperature sensitive international export shipments, strong rooms of 115 m² for storage of valuable cargo and storage areas for dangerous goods in both import and export warehouses, dedicated Unaccompanied Baggage handling and clearance areas and 9 coloured X-ray cargo screening machines for export cargo.

Apart from handling 65% of the international volumes at CSIA, MIAL also operates a Common User Domestic Cargo Facility. After taking over the redevelopment work of the airport in 2006, MIAL commissioned an offshore Common User Terminal (CUT) near the Marol pipeline as a temporary arrangement. In June 2016, MIAL opened a new domestic cargo CUT near the Western Express Highway in Vile Parle.

The CUT has been outsourced to Concor Air Ltd. on a Build-operate-transfer basis. The terminal has the capacity to handle 300,000 metric tonnes of cargo annually and is built on an area of 60,000 square feet. The Cargo Terminal is an "elevated terminal structure" where all arriving domestic cargo is managed from the basement level while departing cargo is handled at the upper level. Air India and Blue Dart handle their own domestic cargo operations at their own terminals.

Access

Ville Parle (East) is a railway station on the Western line and Harbour line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network closest to the Domestic Terminal.
Andheri (East) is a railway station on the Western and Harbour lines closest to the International Terminal.
Airport Road and Marol Naka are the stations on Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro system closest to the International Terminal.
Western Express Highway (WEH) is the station on Line 1 of the Mumbai Metro system closest to the Domestic Terminals.

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) operates air-conditioned buses to the Airport from various parts of the city and the suburbs. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) runs bus services to the Airport from various nodes of Navi Mumbai.

The proposed Line 3 of the Mumbai Metro that will run underground from Colaba to SEEPZ will serve CSIA via three stations — one each at the Santacruz and Sahar terminals and one in the GVK SkyCity. It will reduce the commute time between Colaba and the airport to 40 minutes.

In early 2012, the MMRDA held talks with MIAL to either construct or finance the construction of three of the line's stations. MIAL agreed to bear the cost of constructing the three stations, expected to total ₹777 crore, because of the potential increase in passenger convenience. However, CSIA placed conditions before MMRDA for the corridor;

MIAL specified that the commercial rights of the three stations it constructs will fully rest with the authority, and that revenue earned from any commercial activity on the premises would go to MIAL. It would undertake the design and civil construction of the stations, costing ₹600 crore, on its own, and would pay the estimated cost of electromechanical equipment (around ₹177 crore) to MMRDA in three equal installments over three years.

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2010s

Awards and honours