Oct 16, 2009
The Chhatrapati Shivaji airport at Mumbai will get saturated very soon even after its renovations are complete. It has a single runway and will not be able to cope with the growing Mumbai air traffic. The existing airport will reach saturation point at 40 million passengers (the target for the renovated terminal) but Mumbai airport’s passenger traffic is expected to grow to 90 million passengers in the near future.
The proposal for a second airport for Mumbai has been stuck in various government files for years. The Union Cabinet has approved a new international airport at a location in Kopra-Panvel area in Navi Mumbai at an estimated project cost of Rs 3,500-4,000 crore. The location is 35 kilometres from the existing airport at Mumbai. The plot—1,560 hectares —was already acquired by CIDCO for this purpose and more land could have been acquired.
The proposed airport was given ‘in-principle’ approval by the ministry of environment but it seems that the final approval is not forthcoming because a mangrove cluster will need to be cut down. With the Navi Mumbai project unlikely to get environment clearance, the search for a new location for the proposed airport is on.
Why not think different, and think big? An offshore airport. Mumbai offers excellent location in the creeks near the Gateway of India, which are well-protected from the high seas. An offshore airport will also mark a technology challenge for India.
A number of new airports have already come up on the sea. Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok and the Kansai International Airport near Osaka are the prime examples. Japan took only five years from reclamation of land, including the breakwater, to the first touchdown. Hong Kong took seven years.
Mumbai is used to land reclamation; the entire marine drive is built on reclaimed land. A sea-based airport will also cut down the distance to South Mumbai and will avoid the issues of land acquisition as well as the growing protests against airport noise.
Hong Kong as a city had problems similar to Mumbai’s. In fact, the situation was worse. The city had grown around the airport and the airport was finding it difficult to meet the growing requirements of air traffic management. With skyscrapers all around, there was an issue of air safety as well—aircrafts had to navigate in peculiar ways to land. Honk Kong also had no potential for a second parallel runway.
Like Mumbai, Hong Kong is also an island with very little land. So, the decision was taken that a new Hong Kong airport will be built offshore, by creating an island 16 miles out in the sea. Hong Kong’s new Chep Lap Kok airport started construction in 1991 and by July 1998 it was completed, built on the artificial island of Chek Lap Kok. It is considered to be one of the top ten construction achievements of the 20th century. It has two parallel runways of 3,800 metres, 60 aircrafts movements an hour and 800 scheduled flights of both passengers and cargo per day besides non-scheduled flights. It is one of the busiest airports in the world.
The Kansai International Airport at Osaka Bay in Japan started construction in 1984 and the first runway was opened in September 1994. The second runway was completed by 2007.The airport is well-connected to the mainland by road and train.
While sea-based airports tend to be more expensive initially, they have the advantage of avoiding land acquisition and other consequent social issues. Also, the issue of airport noise, which is leading to shutting down of airports at night in the West, will not arise in a sea-based airport that, therefore, will operate 24 hours a day.
India has reached a critical stage in its economic growth pattern —now, it needs a few good engineering feats to prove itself. The Delhi Metro is certainly a case in point. The Mumbai Bandra-Worli- Nariman Point sea link may not qualify as a good example not only because it is behind schedule but also because the link between Worli and Bandra has only four lanes and not eight lanes as it should have had.
A sea-based airport at Mumbai is, therefore, not just a necessity but also an image booster for Mumbai in its ambitions to become an international city. It will showcase our capabilities to the world.
However, the economics of the airport will have to be carefully worked out. The Noida Toll Bridge is a good model to follow. Based on a PPP model, it raised its own equity and loan and serviced it. The concession terms ensure that the concession period will be extended to guarantee a certain return on capital.
With respect to an offshore airport at Mumbai, revenue generation possibilities are higher as besides shops it could provide space for hotels and even hospitals. If we allow commercial development at the present airport land after the new one is ready, then the new airport could pay off its loans quite easily. The Bandra-Nariman Point sea link could also be connected to the proposed airport.
In summary, a carefully thought-out scheme for a new offshore airport in Mumbai can be a great asset, as it will cut down travel time, avoid noise pollution issues, avoid land acquisition issues and give a boost to our engineering skills.
The author is chairman, International Foundation for Aviation and Development(India chapter) and India’s former representative, International Civil Aviation Organisation
The Chhatrapati Shivaji airport at Mumbai will get saturated very soon even after its renovations are complete. It has a single runway and will not be able to cope with the growing Mumbai air traffic. The existing airport will reach saturation point at 40 million passengers (the target for the renovated terminal) but Mumbai airport’s passenger traffic is expected to grow to 90 million passengers in the near future.
The proposal for a second airport for Mumbai has been stuck in various government files for years. The Union Cabinet has approved a new international airport at a location in Kopra-Panvel area in Navi Mumbai at an estimated project cost of Rs 3,500-4,000 crore. The location is 35 kilometres from the existing airport at Mumbai. The plot—1,560 hectares —was already acquired by CIDCO for this purpose and more land could have been acquired.
The proposed airport was given ‘in-principle’ approval by the ministry of environment but it seems that the final approval is not forthcoming because a mangrove cluster will need to be cut down. With the Navi Mumbai project unlikely to get environment clearance, the search for a new location for the proposed airport is on.
Why not think different, and think big? An offshore airport. Mumbai offers excellent location in the creeks near the Gateway of India, which are well-protected from the high seas. An offshore airport will also mark a technology challenge for India.
A number of new airports have already come up on the sea. Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok and the Kansai International Airport near Osaka are the prime examples. Japan took only five years from reclamation of land, including the breakwater, to the first touchdown. Hong Kong took seven years.
Mumbai is used to land reclamation; the entire marine drive is built on reclaimed land. A sea-based airport will also cut down the distance to South Mumbai and will avoid the issues of land acquisition as well as the growing protests against airport noise.
Hong Kong as a city had problems similar to Mumbai’s. In fact, the situation was worse. The city had grown around the airport and the airport was finding it difficult to meet the growing requirements of air traffic management. With skyscrapers all around, there was an issue of air safety as well—aircrafts had to navigate in peculiar ways to land. Honk Kong also had no potential for a second parallel runway.
Like Mumbai, Hong Kong is also an island with very little land. So, the decision was taken that a new Hong Kong airport will be built offshore, by creating an island 16 miles out in the sea. Hong Kong’s new Chep Lap Kok airport started construction in 1991 and by July 1998 it was completed, built on the artificial island of Chek Lap Kok. It is considered to be one of the top ten construction achievements of the 20th century. It has two parallel runways of 3,800 metres, 60 aircrafts movements an hour and 800 scheduled flights of both passengers and cargo per day besides non-scheduled flights. It is one of the busiest airports in the world.
The Kansai International Airport at Osaka Bay in Japan started construction in 1984 and the first runway was opened in September 1994. The second runway was completed by 2007.The airport is well-connected to the mainland by road and train.
While sea-based airports tend to be more expensive initially, they have the advantage of avoiding land acquisition and other consequent social issues. Also, the issue of airport noise, which is leading to shutting down of airports at night in the West, will not arise in a sea-based airport that, therefore, will operate 24 hours a day.
India has reached a critical stage in its economic growth pattern —now, it needs a few good engineering feats to prove itself. The Delhi Metro is certainly a case in point. The Mumbai Bandra-Worli- Nariman Point sea link may not qualify as a good example not only because it is behind schedule but also because the link between Worli and Bandra has only four lanes and not eight lanes as it should have had.
A sea-based airport at Mumbai is, therefore, not just a necessity but also an image booster for Mumbai in its ambitions to become an international city. It will showcase our capabilities to the world.
However, the economics of the airport will have to be carefully worked out. The Noida Toll Bridge is a good model to follow. Based on a PPP model, it raised its own equity and loan and serviced it. The concession terms ensure that the concession period will be extended to guarantee a certain return on capital.
With respect to an offshore airport at Mumbai, revenue generation possibilities are higher as besides shops it could provide space for hotels and even hospitals. If we allow commercial development at the present airport land after the new one is ready, then the new airport could pay off its loans quite easily. The Bandra-Nariman Point sea link could also be connected to the proposed airport.
In summary, a carefully thought-out scheme for a new offshore airport in Mumbai can be a great asset, as it will cut down travel time, avoid noise pollution issues, avoid land acquisition issues and give a boost to our engineering skills.
The author is chairman, International Foundation for Aviation and Development(India chapter) and India’s former representative, International Civil Aviation Organisation
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