TBM Staff - Mumbai Mumbai Airport to Begin Work on Underground Tunnel Linking T1 and T2 After Monsoon
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai is set to begin the next phase of augmenting its physical infrastructure after the monsoon season. The operator, Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), recently informed airlines that it will commence work on the underground tunnel to link the T1 and T2 airsides within the next three to six months, according to sources who attended a presentation made by MIAL.
The big wave of development at CSMIA will commence after the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) becomes operational by next March. At that time, many facilities, including hangars, cargo, and general aviation, will be shifted to NMIA. Several aircraft parking stands will be created in the vacated space at CSMIA, and Terminal 1 (T1) will be demolished to make way for a new terminal.
While the major phase of development will start after NMIA becomes operational, work to augment infrastructure at CSMIA is likely to begin before the new hub is ready. Airlines were informed that tunnel work will commence this year, depending on the severity of the monsoon season.
The proposed S-shaped underground tunnel under the runways has been postponed for many years, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic crippling air travel when MIAL, then backed by GVK, deferred capital expenditure of about INR 3,000 crore on many projects, including this tunnel. In 2021, the Adani Group took over MIAL, thereby gaining the right to build NMIA.
The focus is also on augmenting infrastructure at CSMIA, which is not a single campus but a disjointed one, where airside transfer of passengers between T1 and T2 is not currently possible. The capacity of T2 is also being expanded to accommodate the growing passenger traffic.
