Mumbai International Airport Limited waits till 2012 for new international terminal

Revoking its earlier plan, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has decided not to commission a wing of its new integrated passenger terminal at Sahar in December this year. Instead, it will now launch the first phase of the terminal, including the southwest pier, in 2012.

Construction of the new terminal building, which is underway, is expected to be over by 2013. The southwest pier - a wing - of the under-construction terminal will be complete by the year end. The wing, which was to be connected to the existing terminal, will have some retail area.

As per the original plan, the wing was to be open for passengers by the end of the current year. But MIAL recently wrote to the civil aviation ministry explaining its decision not to launch the wing.

According to officials, if launched in December, the southwest pier would have served as an extension of the existing terminal.

“Passenger check-in and security check will continue to take place in the existing terminal. There is no plan to install check-in counters in the southwest pier,” an airport official said.

It was felt that opening the connecting wing will not greatly increase efficiency or the overall handling capacity of the airport. Also, since construction is underway on the air side, it may not have been possible to use all the aerobridges at southwest pier.

The under-construction new terminal

Sources said Air India support department facilities too would have to be demolished to clear more apron space at the southwest pier.

MIAL and Air India have signed an agreement in this regard but the actual work of shifting the Air India office has not begun.

In February 2009, MIAL launched the construction of integrated passenger terminal which will eventually serve both domestic and international flights.

Spread over an area of 4.3 million square metres across four levels, it will have 52 aerobridges, 184 check-in counters and 14 baggage reclaim belts.

Upon completion, Mumbai airport will be able to handle 40 million passengers annually; the airport’s peak hour handling capacity will reach 9,900 passengers per hour.

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/20100903201009030159008212bc59f74/Wait-till-2012-for-new-intl-terminal.html

By Minna Niskanen, 3.9.2010 10:06