Modernising Mumbai Airport

The biggest challenge, says L&T, was to construct the terminal amidst a fully operational airport.

Scope of work
L&T was awarded the mandate as the main contractor to plan, design, engineer, procure, construct, test and commission the new Terminal 2 on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis. The scope of work included a passenger terminal of approximately 4,20,000 sq m, ancillary facilities, 63 contact and 10 remote stands and a connector building for the two domestic terminals. The Airside Works involved reconstruction and widening of 6.5 km of runways, 12 km of taxiways, associated connectors and rapid exit ways, 10 million sq feet of hard-stands, taxiways and aprons for large wide-bodied ´Code F´ aircraft and associated support buildings, systems and utilities. International and domestic cargo facilities had to be constructed in addition to an 83.8 m tall air traffic control tower, the tallest in India, and a multilevel car park with a capacity to accommodate 5,500 vehicles.

Design features
The design of Terminal 2, inspired by the dancing peacock, India´s national bird, is replete with inspiring works of art, plush seating, posh retailing areas, shiny marble flooring and ceiling panels with over 700 chandeliers. An outstanding feature is the 48,100 sq m Head House Roof that resembles a honeycomb. Designed on the likes of the columns at the Fathepur Sikri, there are 28 mega columns with its fascia adorned with Rajasthani handmade glass inlay pattern called Tikri works based on a ´falling leaf´ theme. Another stand-out feature is the expansive 2-km long art wall showcasing themes from Indian mythology.

The Lighting Control & Monitoring System (LCMS) in the terminal building features day-light harvesting, lumen maintenance, time scheduling and scene-setting to optimise energy efficiency, using DALI, DMX and circuit switching controllers.

Technologies used
Rubbilisation for apron construction, high-rise jaw crushers for dismantling, hot tapping for diverting live fuel lines, carbon reinforced fibre technology for strengthening an existing bridge under the operating runway, and erection of 28,000 tonnes of structural steel roof using launching girders over 40 m tall. The airfield ground lighting of the airport is one of the most technologically sophisticated systems with design capabilities complying to CAT II Category. Since the airport s located in the heart of the city, a dedicated 3.3 km six-lane elevated corridor ensures its easy connectivity to the Western Express Highway.

Amenities: 188 check-in counters, 58 self-check-in kiosks, a 70 m wide departure bay, 160 escalators, travelators and elevators, 25 fixed link bridges, 52 moveable aero bridges and about 21,000 sq m of retail shopping space. 10 baggage reclaim carousels can clear up to 10,800 bags per hour with around 7 km of conveyers. An outstanding feature of the baggage handling system is the in-line baggage screening system that uses a combination of automated and manual screening processes. Challenges Being a brownfield project, the most severe challenge was to construct the terminal amidst a fully operational airport without disrupting the normal airport services or inconveniencing the passengers. Owing to its location, right in the heart of a bustling city, moving equipment on to the site, removal of debris, movement of and accommodation for the 5,000-odd workmen were Herculean tasks. Work on the runway could only occur during a pre-determined window in the night when the operational runway was shut down.

Also, several political and religious structures had to be safely relocated. Inaugurated in February 2014, the terminal can now handle close to 40 million passengers and a million tonnes of cargo per annum.

Aviation Infrastructure – Case Study
Project: Modernisation and construction of new Terminal 2 at The Chatrapathi Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) Mumbai
Client: Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL)
Executing Agency: Larsen & Toubro
Project Period: 2006 to 2014
(Note : Details provided by L&T)