Mumbai airport hopes to be among world’s top 20 by 2013

Mumbai: In its third year, MIAL expects 40 mn passengers by 2014, says new airport should come up fast
The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) — the Bangalore-based GVK Industries-led consortium—- completed three years as operator of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) this Sunday. What is significant on MIAL’s third anniversary is the fact that the operations, management and development agreement (OMDA), signed between Airports Authority of India (AAI) and MIAL in April 2006, has also come to an end this year. It’s through this agreement, the AAI granted rights to private joint venture partners to develop the Mumbai and Delhi airports.
Meanwhile, the city airport has been climbing international charts gradually despite being dubbed as one of the most complex infrastructure projects in the country owing to land constraints, ‘demolish and rebuild format’ and being parallel to airport’s full scale operation. It aims to enter among the top 20 airports of the world by 2013. “We were ranked 55th when we took over in 2006, and climbed to the 40th spot in 2007. We want to be among the world’s top 20 by 2013,” said Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, MIAL during a presentaion.
But away from developmental and operational issues of CSIA, the real concern, according to Reddy, was the fact that progress on the proposed new airport in Navi Mumbai had been stalled while it awaits environmental clearance.
05/05/09 Shashank Shekhar/Express India

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Categories: Airports May 2009