Mumbai International Airport opens Terminal 1B

Details of the project include:
Six check-in counters;
Five baggage belts;
International transit facility;
Exclusive taxi services for women.

Krishna Reddy, Chairman, stated “with the opening of the arrival terminal at CSIA, 65% of the domestic arrivals will shift from terminal 1A to 1B. Terminal 1B has become the best airport terminal in India today and this is just a small step in our journey to transform CSIA".

Meanwhile, MIAL announced plans to invest a further USD1.5 billion in an airport modernisation programme. Further details were not disclosed.

The airport stated the biggest obstacle it has faced is the acquisition of required land. According to the Hindu Business Line, Sanjay Reddy, Group Vice-Chairman, stated, “Everything in Mumbai revolves around a four letter word — land. This is a seriously constrained airport and despite all the problems we are neither making excuses nor putting up defences and will finish on time."

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is forecasted to reach saturation within the next five-seven years. Construction of the proposed Navi Mumbai airport project is now being fast tracked. Praful Patel, Minister for Civil Aviation, has stated he aims for the first phase of the greenfield airport to be ready by 2012.

The proposed greenfield airport will have capacity to handle 55 million passengers p/a.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport is set to be executed on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) basis by forming a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) firm in which CIDCO and Airport Authority of India will hold up to 26% shareholding with the rest being held by a private developer.  

Parties reportedly interested in bidding for the airport project include GMR Group, GVK Group, Tata Group, Larsen & Toubro, Dnata and Changi Airports International (CAI). Reliance Industries Ltd and Anil Ambani’s Reliance ADAG are also reportedly seeking international airport developers to form a consortium to bid for the project, and Tata Group and CAI have formed a 51:49 JV for the airport. However, GVK Group, which operates Mumbai International Airport, holds the first right of refusal.

MIAL a joint venture company owned by the GVK led consortium (74%) and Airports Authority of India (26%), was formed in Mar-06 to operate and develop Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Date posted: 17-Sep-07.