Mumbai’s brand-new airport terminal -T2, built at a cost of over 12,500 crores

Mumbai – Seven years after the first decision was taken to rebuild Mumbai’s dingy and congested Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the wait is finally over. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will tomorrow inaugurate the state-of-the-art Terminal 2 or T2.

The new terminal has been built by the GVK-led consortium has been built at a cost of over 12,500 crores.

The T2 covers an area of over 1400 acres. Granite that can cover 27 football fields, and over 18000 metric tonnes of steel have been used in its construction.

Though no longer India’s busiest airport, the four-storey terminal will cater to an estimated 40 million passengers annually.

The new terminal has 188 check-in counters, 60 immigration counters for departing passengers, and 76 immigration counters for incoming fliers.

To get around, passengers will have access to 47 escalators and 73 elevators.

For those who stress about travelling to the domestic Sahar airport for connecting flights, a six-lane elevated expressway will ease things.

A multi-level car park has also been built to accommodate 5,000 vehicles. T2 will mostly cater to international traffic, though a few domestic airlines are expected to move operations there later.

The terminal will also boast 21,000 square meters of area for retail shopping.

The new terminal will have 2300 CCTV cameras for passenger safety and 4100 public address speakers.

The X-shaped terminal also boasts of a three-kilometre-long art walk which incorporates Indian aesthetics with a white peacock theme. Titled ‘Jaya He’, it offers a glimpse into India’s rich legacy and is an unprecedented interdisciplinary platform for the nation’s cultural and creative industries.