Mumbai: Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will begin phased redevelopment of the North Section of Terminal 1B from January 2027 with safety concerns over the 60-year-old structure prompting the move, airport operator Adani Airport Holdings Ltd said on Saturday.
The redevelopment will temporarily deoperationalise around 5 million passengers a year, or about 9 per cent of Mumbai airport’s total annual traffic of nearly 55 million passengers, the company said.
The North Section accounts for about one-third of Terminal 1’s capacity.
The airport will continue to handle the remaining traffic during the redevelopment, Adani Airport Holdings CEO Arun Bansal said.
Airlines have been offered the option of temporarily shifting operations to Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is operated within the same airport group to minimise disruption.
The redevelopment is expected to raise Terminal 1’s capacity by 33 per cent to 20 million passengers per annum from the current 15 million.
“Passenger safety must remain paramount,” Bansal said and added that further delays in starting the redevelopment could affect the safety and convenience of travellers.
“Extensive consultations with airlines on the future of Terminal 1 have been ongoing since 2020, and the proposed redevelopment was also presented before AERA and subsequently incorporated into the approved tariff framework. While we appreciate the concerns expressed by certain airlines, passenger safety must remain paramount, and any further delay in commencing this process could adversely impact the safety and convenience of millions of travellers,” Bansal said.
The airport operator said concerns over Terminal 1 had been identified for several years and that temporary mitigation measures had been undertaken in the absence of an alternative facility.
It said a fire incident at Terminal 1 in April had further highlighted the risks associated with continuing operations.
Navi Mumbai International Airport is being positioned as an alternative for airlines affected by the phased closure.
Navi Mumbai Airport is offering a 100 per cnet discount on landing fees for new international flights. In addition, it plans to offer cash vouchers to international passengers to offset the difference in the User Development Fee (UDF) levied at Navi Mumbai and Mumbai Airports, the company said.
Adani Airport Holdings said the redevelopment plan had been discussed with airlines since 2020 and presented to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India, or AERA, before being incorporated into the approved tariff framework.
(IANS)
