Connecting India

Mumbai is the financial capital and most popular city in India. Capital of the state of Maharashtra and home to 20 million people, diversity and vibrancy display the city’s true personality. With its diverse set of people, Mumbai is the home ground for many reputed enterprises and organisations.

Mumbai is an archipelago of seven islands. Its rich history can be experienced through its architecture and the relics of the past. This global city is ever-evolving and welcoming. Mumbai offers a wide choice of attractions for tourists that they should not miss whilst visiting the city. This city with its intrinsic charm delights every kind of tourist; whether a foodie, a shopaholic or a history enthusiast. One of the best ways to get connected with all this is via the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).

CSIA is a befitting welcome to the iconic city of Mumbai. CSIA offers leisure and connectivity options to suit the needs of the modern day traveller. Equipped with the best facilities, CSIA sets the tone for seamless travel. With state-of-the-art technology, soothing lounges and shopping bargains, CSIA offers a pleasant travel experience for all.

2006 was a milestone in the history of airports in India. Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL), a joint venture between GVK (one of India’s largest infrastructure developers) led consortium (74 per cent) and Airports Authority of India (26 per cent), was awarded the mandate of modernising and upgrading CSIA in February of that year. GVK currently has a shareholding of 50.3 per cent in MIAL. CSIA is one of India’s busiest airports having recorded passenger traffic of 29.1 million in 2010/11, along with cargo traffic of 670,235 tonnes.

MIAL’s vision is to transform CSIA into one of the world’s best airports that consistently delights customers and to be the pride of Mumbai. To achieve this, a brand new terminal equipped with best-in-class facilities and technology is under construction. MIAL is currently implementing a master plan that has been designed to have an integrated passenger terminal at Sahar with state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities to cater to passenger traffic of 40 million per annum.

Key services and facilities at CSIA

E-ticket printing kiosk

The E-ticket printing kiosk which was recently introduced at CSIA enables passengers to avoid long queues outside airline ticket counters and print their e-tickets prior to their departures.

Self check-in kiosk

CSIA has 55 self check-in kiosks for quick checkins to avoid longer queues. 258 check-in counters are spread across both domestic and international terminals to reduce any waiting time.

Faster and efficient immigration process

CSIA has been recognised as one of the fastest airports in the world with reference to the immigration process it follows. CSIA has around 78 separate immigration counters, free photograph facility and separate interview rooms for tourist visa on arrival.

Shopping

CSIA’s convenient shopping areas provide everything passengers need before and after their flights. Passengers can browse at leisure, enjoy the ambience and experience all sorts of fascinating and exclusive products on display. Passengers can choose to shop from an array of top of the line fashion, the latest gadgets, books, handicrafts and souvenirs, which are all available at CSIA.

Duty free

CSIA boasts of a veritable duty free shopping paradise where passengers can choose to shop for must-haves, such as watches, liquor, designer wear and other premium gift items. The duty free area showcases some of the best brands in the world which are available at CSIA at a much lower rate, compared to other airports.

Food and beverage

There’s something for everyone at CSIA with its numerous restaurants, cafes and food courts, providing a wide variety of food and beverage offerings to suit everyone’s palette. At the dedicated 11,750 sq ft food court at Terminal 1C, overlooking the airside, passengers can grab a quick meal while waiting for their flight. It hosts a variety of Indian and international outlets including KFC, Domino’s, Idli.Com, Curry Kitchen, Cafeccino and Mad over Donuts. The Arrivals area of Terminal 1B also hosts a number of food and beverage outlets that passengers can choose from. On the other hand, the International terminal also offers passengers a variety of food and beverage options.

Technology

In May 2007, MIAL introduced an airport management system by SITA, the global provider of Airport IT solutions. This gave CSIA an edge over other airports as it ended the use of manual systems and marked a shift to IT- driven automation, thereby enabling end-to-end management of airport resources in real time.

In line with this, MIAL signed an agreement with SITA in February 2008 to implement CUSS (Common Use Self Service) kiosks to enhance passenger experience and CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) check-in systems to organise gate and check-in counter allocations at CSIA.

By mid-2008, MIAL also implemented a common data and voice network across the terminals. With this breakthrough, all the airlines and retailers have been brought into a unified network, taking passenger convenience to the next level.

Airside

The airside at CSIA has been enhanced significantly. This includes commissioning of new taxiways, aprons, reconstruction of the runway intersection and the reconstruction of both the main runway 09/27 and the secondary runway 14/32. These enhancements have led to a considerable reduction in runway occupancy time for aircraft landing and taking off, thereby increasing the efficiency of the runway operations.

CSIA was the first airport in India to form an Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC). AOCC which falls under the remit of the Airport Operation Services (AOS), responsible for appropriate allocation of the parking stands, check-in-counters, baggage carousels, boarding gates and capturing vital information on flight data. In addition to coordinating with other resources like refueling and bus transfer with airlines, it also regulates the movement of nonscheduled international flights.

Emergency services

State of the art, Oshkosh’s ‘Striker 3000’ and Rosenbauer’s ‘Panther’ crash/fire tenders have been introduced at CSIA for more efficient fire management services. The Panther is a fully computerised fire tender and has enhanced jet throw ability.

Awards and accolades

Over the years, MIAL’s efforts in modernising CSIA have been acknowledged with many awards and accolades, some of which are listed below:

• Voted the ‘Best Airport in Public-Private Partnership’ for two consecutive years (2007 & 2008) by the Air Passengers Association of India (APAI)
• Frost and Sullivan Asia Pacific Aerospace and Defense Awards – ‘Aeronautical Excellence Airport of the Year’ in 2008
• Best Managed Airport from CNBC AWAAZ Travel Awards for 2009
• CSIA’s proposed Air Traffic Control Tower won the ‘Autodesk Hong Kong Building Information Modeling (BIM) Award’ 2009
• Rated the best airport in India for airports above 15 million passengers per annum (mppa) in the ASQ (Airport Service Quality) survey carried out by Airport Council International (ACI) and ranked fourth amongst all airports globally in the 15-25 mmpa category in the second quarter of 2010
• MIAL received a ‘Special Commendation’ for the Golden Peacock Award for Occupational Health and Safety in 2011

T2 – The hub of the future

The upcoming integrated Terminal 2, referred to as T2 at CSIA, is acknowledged to be one of the most iconic developments in recent times. One which aims to take over the mantle of the new Gateway of India, in every sense of the word. A structure that will be the pride of Mumbai and impress every traveller and visitor to this vibrant city.

When completed in 2013, T2 will be a state-of-the-art four level integrated terminal with an area of over 439,000 sqm. and will include new taxiways and apron areas for aircraft parking designed to cater to 40 million passengers annually.

T2 will be as unique as our land, our heritage. The distinctly proud Indian design of this new terminal will set new international standards, across every aspect such as architecture, planning, technology, functionality and service. An experience that will be efficient, yet warm. An experience that will whisper, you are now in India. T2 will deliver delight every moment you spend here. By being an experience that is on par with the best in the world.

Key features

• Total area of 439,203 sqm
• 40 million passengers capacity
• Over 21,000 sqm of retail space
• Over 5,000 sqm of landscape areas
• 188 check-in counters
• 60 departure immigration counters
• 76 arrival immigration counters
• 104 Security check positions
• 10 baggage carousels
• 25 fixed link bridges
• 52 passenger boarding bridges
• 41 Travelators
• 47 Escalators
• 73 Elevators
• 101 Toilets 
• A six lane elevated express way leading to the Terminal
• Multi-level car park for 5,000 cars

In line with the above, in the last five years of modernisation, while upgrading CSIA we have devoted an adequate amount of time and resources to effectively maintain satisfactory levels of convenience and service comparable with the best airports across the world. Several passenger surveys over the last few years have further reaffirmed our vision.

We are committed to transform CSIA into one of the world’s best airports with state-of-the art infrastructure and the best possible facilities. The new integrated terminal, once complete will certainly raise the level of the much-acclaimed ‘CSIA travel experience to a new high’.