Mumbai’s International new airport terminal – less congestion

Mumbai International Airport boasts a lavish new airport terminal. After a $2 billion revamp, India’s financial capital now has a brand new, spacious international and national terminal, with a design inspired by the peacock (India’s national bird).

The opening of the new terminal is great news to all business travellers. Mumbai’s airport has long been known for its congestion and inefficient layout. That has now been left behind. The new building offers India's largest car park, a new six-lane elevated road to ease traffic and 140 immigration counters.

The new terminal was due for completion in 2012, part of an airport overhaul that has risen in cost from $1.58 to $ 2 billion. The long delay was due to planning and construction difficulties. As the developers of the airport were unable to move part of the tin-roof slums from the airport land area, they only had about 570 hectares for use. This restriction lead to the creation of a X-shaped, ‘vertical’ new terminal across four floors. Furthermore, the terminal had to be built on the city's existing airport site while full flight operations continued.

The new terminal has a capacity for 40 million passengers per year. India is due to become the world's third largest aviation market after the United States and China by 2020, handling 337 million domestic and 84 million international passengers.