With travel to Mumbai all set to change for international passengers after the opening of the swanky new T2 terminal, here are 20 facts that you should know to make your journey to and from the airport easier as well as admire while you are at T2. Here they are –
1. T2 is built over four levels: Level 4 for international departures; Level 3 for domestic departures; Level 2 for arrivals; and Level 1 for ground transport.
2. T2 is geared up to handle both international and domestic operations. A landscaped elevated road will lead travellers straight to Level 4, the International terminal. Domestic operations will take place on Level 3 from 2015 onwards though.
3. The most talked about part of T2 is undoubtedly its ambitious art project titled Jaya He. Said to be the largest public art project in the world outside a museum, it hosts 6,000 works of art sourced from every state in India. Many are antiques dating back to the 18th century while also featuring contemporary artists. There’s also an installation on the theme of Water by filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, a neat little plug for his ambitious forever-in-the-making next movie. Apart from this, there is also a mural featuring Amitabh Bachchan, who recently shot a video of the new T2 terminal for developers GVK.
4. The new terminal has also done away with individual airline lounges. This means that whatever airline you choose, you will be treated at par with other airlines’ passengers. At T2, business class travellers will have access to a common Business Class lounge that’s 13,000 square feet large and includes a spa. First Class passengers also have a lounge to themselves that’s about 10,000 square feet large.
5. T2’s Control Room features real-time data transmission across various operational units such as GVK personnel, airline representatives etc in a bid to minimise sharing of information and also increase transparency across various channels of the airport.
6. T2 missed several completion deadlines (ha!) and took seven years to build. The terminal is spread over 47 lakh square feet with a capacity of handling some 40 million passengers. Compare this with New Delhi’s T3 that is about 20 percent larger but can handle up to 34 million passengers and took only three years to build.
7. The former international airport is slated to be completely demolished to make room for domestic runways. The current domestic airport, on the other hand, is slated to be given to cargo and private jets to use. No official decision has been taken about it yet. (Update April 2017: All domestic airlines except GoAir, Spicejet and Indigo use T2)
8. The baggage system at Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2 is designed to handle 9600 bags per hour for the current phase, while possessing an expandable capacity of up to 10,800 bags per hour to cater to future demands. With no news about the second airport in the city, this seems like a good move.
9. Checking-in should now be easier as there 168 Economy Check-in Counters, 20 exclusive VIP/CIP Check-in Counters, 12 Transfer Recheck-in as well as a hassle-free system for direct checks-ins through an interactive touch screen kiosks. In addition there are 23 Domestic and 30 international security pedestals at T2.
10. When at CSIA Mumbai’s Terminal 2, look up as you will one of the primary design a long-span roof and spectacular coffered ceiling, known as ‘Head House Roof’ which covers the departures road, check-in hall, security posts and immigration counters. The entire terminal has been inspired by the feather of a peacock.
11. Spanning over 4,39, 203 sq.meters area, a vertical terminal has also been setup as a Multi-Level Car park measuring 193,890 sq, meters to counter parking woes at the airport. T2 terminal has India’s tallest airport escalator measuring 11.6 meters in height serving the sixth to 10th level of the car park.
12. CSIA Mumbai’s Terminal 2 aims to be one of the most environmental friendly spaces around by targeting the LEED Gold Rating for T2 and adopting multi-level energy saving measures at the new integrated terminal building. The water fountains and green cover might just get the airport the coveted rating.
13. Over 30,000 sq. ft. of skylight glass was used in the making of the new terminal at Mumbai. That’s enough to cover Wimbledon’s Centre Court six times over!
14. The 11 acre long-span mega roof at the T2 terminal is supported by only 30 columns.
15. The whole roof of the terminal is built with 18,000 metric tons of structural steel, which is enough to build two Eiffel towers.
16. All international passengers travelling by chauffeur-driven cars or taxis can drive to the departure gates at Level 4 through the Sahar elevated access road. But two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws will not be allowed on the elevated road. This smacks of a bit of elitism but the authorities are playing the safety card to justify their stand. We’ll wait and watch how this pans out.
17. Airport authority MIAL has set up an Airport Contact Centre consisting an automated 24-hour passenger helpline number 022-66851010 that will respond to query, requests, and feedbacks over phone call or SMS. Whether or not the helpline will actually be responsive over the long term remains to be seen.
18. Forgot your meds? Don’t worry. There’s a pharmacy inside T2 after you pass security on the right after the food court.
19. If you see some dogs come up to you to play, don’t be surprised. T2 has trained therapy dogs (two at the moment named Goldie and Pepe) with whom you can cuddle up before taking off.
20. It might be worth it to each early and relax at the GVK Lounge at T2. It has notched up quite a reputation amongst season travellers and has also won numerous awards, including the world’s best lounge.
Finally, you can watch the making of the terminal narrated by Amitabh Bachchan below –
Have I missed anything? Let me know in the comments below.
