Mumbai airport's old terminal 1A to be demolished
What's the story
Terminal 1A of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will soon be demolished. On Wednesday, Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL) issued a public notice regarding its demolition. The terminal, which was shut down in 2016, will be demolished along with a defunct chiller plant and a temporary shed on the premises. The space freed up by this demolition will be used for airport-related expansion activities, officials told HT.
Official approval
MIAL invites bids for refurbishing Terminal 1
Per mid-day, the T1A building was previously divided into three sections: T1A, T1B, and T1C. T1A was only used by Indian Airlines (Air India) until 2005, when Kingfisher Airlines began operating alongside. When Kingfisher ceased operations, the terminal space was given to GoAir. T1A was closed to the public after Air India and GoAir moved their operations to Terminal 2 and Terminal 1-B of CSMIA, respectively. In 2017, to avoid confusion, MIAL renamed Terminal 1B as Terminal 1.
Historical context
Why was terminal deemed unsafe?
An official involved in the project said, "We will not demolish the existing Terminal 1 till the second phase of the Navi Mumbai airport is completed to ensure there is no disruption to air traffic." Terminal 1A, inaugurated in 1992, was the first airport terminal in India to have aerobridges and hosted important political meetings. However, over time, the structure has deteriorated, with cracks appearing at several places.
Capacity plans
NMIA to ease capacity shortfall during refurbishment
The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority had deemed the demolition necessary for public safety after an audit by IIT Bombay revealed corrosion and seepage issues. The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), which is set to begin operations in December, will help manage the capacity shortfall during Terminal 1's refurbishment. In the launch phase, the airport will accommodate 20 million passengers annually and handle 0.5 million metric tons of cargo. Subsequent phases are expected to be completed by 2029, 2032, and 2035-36.