Mumbai: The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) has raised safety concerns of air traffic operations at Mumbai Airport Terminal 1 following IIT Bombay audit report citing corrosion, seepage and cracks in the airport terminal building.
The AERA has ordered demolition of Terminal 1 at Mumbai International Airport “necessary” to ensure public safety and airline operations.
Earlier the Mumbai International Ariport Ltd (MIAL) operator Adani Group had announced partial shut down of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) Terminal 1 for redevelopment to increase capacity by 33% to handle 20 million passengers annually.
“the terminal will undergo a major transformation to increase its passenger handling capacity. The redevelopment plan will involve demolishing the current structure and replacing it with a modern one,” Adani Group had announced.
The airports regulator had ordered audits of all air terminals in India following the collapse of Delhi Airport's Terminal 1 canopy on June 28 last yea killing a cab driver and injured eight others.
“A comprehensive safety audit of all the three terminals at Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) revealed several safety concerns. Plans to construct a new Terminal 4 was put on hold and instead a fast-track the refurbishment of the existing Terminal 2 of Delhi Airport was ordered. The decision followed audits by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and IIT Madras Aviation (DGCA) and IIT Madras flagging issues with the apron and boarding bridges,” confirmed senior DGCA official.
A DGCA-appointed expert panel found that flawed design, poor workmanship, and inadequate maintenance were likely causes of the collapse leading to extensive audits of other airport terminals.
A similar audit of Mumbai Airport led the DGCA to ask the airport regulator to revamp the old airport structure and enhance safety standards of the terminal 1 building and other ancillary units on the apron and air side operations.
“The low budget airlines have been asked to shift operations to terminal 2 and the upcoming Navi Mumbai Airport. The redevelopment of terminal 1 will take atleast 3 years and will be converted into air cargo hub,” said senior airports authority of India official.
