Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is one of the largest aviation centres in the country. The airport is established on an area of 1450 acres of land. That is why the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is regarded as `India`s biggest international and domestic aviation hub`. It is the second busiest airport in the country in terms of international passenger traffic after Delhi, and was the 14th busiest airport in Asia and 29th busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic in calendar year 2016.
At present the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport comprises of the International Terminal (Terminal 2 at Sahar) and the Domestic Terminal (Terminal 1 at Santa Cruz). Both the terminals use the same airside facilities. The airport handles about 850 aircraft movements per day. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is situated in Mumbai.
History of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
The airport is named after the 17th century Maratha ruler, Chhatrapati Shivaji. It was re-renamed as "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport", adding "Maharaj" to the name, by the Government of Maharashtra on 8th December 2016. The airport at Royal Air Force Santa Cruz was built in 1930s, replacing the city"s previous aviation base, the "Juhu Aerodrome". The Santa Cruz terminal was to be used for domestic traffic only. The International Airport Authority of India (IAAI) started planning the construction of a new terminal building for handling international passenger traffic, to be completed by 1981. It was later developed with an additional terminal at Andheri in order to meet the air traffic conditions.
AAI had been considering the modernisation of Mumbai airport in 1996 although the AAI board approved a modernisation proposal only in 2003. A major fire devastated the International part of the terminal building on 21st September 1979, killing three passengers and shutting down the airport. A provisional departure addition was made functional in October that year until the terminal was repaired. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was previously known as Sahar International Airport.
Structure of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport consists of two passenger terminals namely "Terminal 1" at Santa Cruz for domestic flights and "Terminal 2" at Sahar for both international and domestic flights. While both terminals use the same airside amenities, they are physically separated on the city side. It requires a 15–20-minute drive between them. It operates coach shuttle services between the two terminals for the transportation of the passengers.
Terminals of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Terminal 1A, 1B and 1C were the previous terminals. The airport has two major passenger terminal complexes now. Terminal 1 was further divided into Terminals 1A, 1B and 1C after their lasting closure. The Terminal 2 is an X shaped terminal which handles both domestic and international passengers. It includes new taxiways and apron areas for aircraft parking designed to cater to 40 million passengers yearly. The new terminal is linked by the six - lane Sahar Elevated Access Road to the Western Express Highway. A metro rail link to the terminal is also designed. It has 192 check-in counters and 60 immigration counters for departing passengers, and 14 baggage carousels and 76 immigration offsets for arriving passengers.
Runways: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has two interconnecting runways. Both runways have been advanced to Code F, means they can hold larger aircraft.
Air Traffic Control Tower: It is the India"s second tallest Air Traffic Control Tower with the height of 85 metres after Delhi airport.
Airlines of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Some of the renowened Airlines hosted by Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport are Air Arabia, Air China, Air Canada, Air Deccan, Air France, Air India, Air India Express, Air Mauritius, Air Seychelles, Alliance Air, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Egypt Air, El Al, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Flydubai, Go Air, Gulf Air, Indi Go, Indonesia Air Asia X, Iran Air, Iraqi Airways, KLM, Kenya Airways, Korean Air , Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Thai Airways, Trujet, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Asiana Airlines Cargo, Atlas Air, Blue Dart Aviation, DHL Aviation, Emirates SkyCargo, Ethiopian Airlines Cargo, Etihad Cargo, FedEx Express, MASkargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, Uzbekistan Airways etc.
Awards of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has won the 2015 Airport Service Quality Best Airport Award. It has also won the "Best Airport in India and Central Asia" award at the Skytrax 2016 World Airport Awards. Some other awards received by Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport are:
•National Tourism Award by the Ministry of Tourism.
•Carbon Neutrality Certification by Airports Council International (ACI).
•CII Renovative Kaizen award
•"Highly Commended Airport for Marketing" award in Asia Pacific region in the over 20 million passengers category
•Second Best Airport award globally and in Asia Pacific by Airport Council International"s Airport Service Quality Awards 2016
•â€œBest Executed Landmark Project of the Year (Airport)†at the Construction Times Award 2016
•`Air Cargo Terminal` of the year 2015-16 at Logistics Asia Awards
•"Sustainable Carbon Management Practice Award "from World CSR Congress
•GreenCo Award at the GreenCo Summit 2016
•Golden Peacock National Award for Risk Management.
Services and Facilities of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
A number of vital services are provided at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to make sure a secure trip experience for travellers. The airport has numerous lounges such as the Pranaam GVK Lounge, CIP Lounge, and Loyalty Lounge at the international terminal and the Carnations Lounge at the domestic one.
The airport also has special childcare rooms and baby strollers at all the terminals. Well-organized care and paramedic facilities are accessible to provide for any medical emergencies. Prayer rooms, postal and telecommunication services, baggage trolleys and wrapping services, ATMs, free Wi-Fi, and foreign exchange counters for international travellers are some of the other services offered by the airport.
Visiting Information of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
For the Domestic Terminal, the nearest railway station is Vile Parle (East) which will take 13 minutes via Nehru Road. Santa Cruz Railway Station is also nearby at 20 minutes via Swami Vivekananda Road. For International Terminal, the nearest station is Andheri (East). Bandra Terminus is also nearby at 23 minutes via Western Express Highway.