Mumbai Airport: Adani proposes dedicated crew terminal at T2 & 11 times bigger general aviation terminal

NEW DELHI: Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s (CSMIA) will in the next 4-5 years be handling both more scheduled and charter flights. The airport operator has proposed to build an over 11 times bigger general aviation (GA) terminal and increase scheduled flight passenger capacity by a crore annually and create the required airside infra that includes an underground tunnel to link T1 & T2.

Dedicated crew terminal at an expanded T2: Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has proposed building a dedicated crew terminal at T2 to free up space for passengers at this terminal. This is among the several steps the operator has proposed to increase T2 capacity from current 4 crore passengers annually (CPA) to 4.5 CPA. The others include extending the pier on northwest side to house additional infra like extra bus and contact gates along with the crew terminal which will be part of the expanded T2.

“MIAL proposes construction of a crew terminal of about 3,000 square metres, since at present air crew (nearly 2,000 per day) are using common passenger security. If separate facilities are created for crew, passenger throughput at security check level will increase and result in operational efficiency,” Adani Group’s MIAL has said in its proposal submitted to the govt which was examined by Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA). The regulator says the proposed crew terminal will be an extension of T2 “and is required to have similar aesthetics.”

The airport operators expects the crew terminal to be ready next year. While the overall T2 expansion capex is expected to be Rs 107.3 crore, the crew terminal will cost Rs 43 crore. This along with the overall northwest pier extension with bus boarding gate “will increase (T2’s) passenger handling capacity,” the operator says. “(CSMIA becoming a major transfer hub) will require creation of appropriate passenger amenities comparable with global Hubs. Accordingly, MIAL proposes construction of about 13,080 square metres of additional floor space to facilitate this,” it adds. The Adani Group plans to increase Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s (CSMIA) peak capacity from current 5.5 CPA to 6.5 CPA by expanding T2 from 4 to 4.5 CPA.

Brand new & bigger T1: It proposes to build a new 2-CPA T1 (exiting is 1.5 CPA) at a cost of about Rs 2,500 crore. The Union aviation ministry had sought some clarifications from MIAL on T1 reconstruction this Feb. About the “detailed phase-wise timeline for T-1's demolition and construction plan,” the airport operator responded: “Reconstruction of T1 is estimated to be completed in three years. Demolition activity for existing T1 is planned to commence in Nov 2025 and construction of new T1 is likely to be completed by September 2028. These timelines are subject to various approvals and stakeholder consultations…. Reconstruction of T1 will not have any impact on airside operations (including runway)… Once complete, the new terminal will be able to manage 2 CPA.”

General aviation: Apart from augmenting passenger capacity, CSMIA will also be able to handle more business jets & charter flights by massively expanding the existing general aviation (GA) terminal at a cost of Rs 225 crore from current floor area of 890 square metres to 10,783 square metres. Which means the proposed GA terminal will be over 11 times bigger than the existing one.

“The existing size and facilities in the GA terminal are not sufficient to handle the GA traffic… resulting in highly constrained operations…. increasing trend for using bigger charter flights (with 180 average seating capacity) by corporates which are currently being operated from T2. Also, the current GA terminal does not have any provision to handle international passengers and they are being handled through T2 only,” MIAL has said in its submission to govt.

Accordingly, the operator proposes to expand the existing GA Terminal by constructing another about 9,893 square metres of gross floor area to meet the growing demand. In FY 23, CSMIA handled 12,444 GA aircraft movement and the next fiscal this number rose to 13,831 or an average daily 38 movements. “To cater to the growing demand for GA and charter flights with larger capacity, it is proposed to extend the existing GA Terminal, so that the Terminal is equipped to house the increased number of passengers from charter flights. Also, it is proposed to have an integrated terminal for handling both domestic as well as international passengers from this terminal without mixing of passengers,” MIAL has told the govt.

Regarding this, AERA notes in its order: “There is increased demand for GA flights to Mumbai, especially from business travellers. Also, there is increased movement of international charter flights, which justifies the need for expansion of GA terminal.”