Modi and other dignitaries at the foundation-laying ceremony. (Getty Images)
Zaha Hadid Architects wins new Mumbai airport work
MUMBAI, March 14, 2018
Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has been appointed as the architect of the new Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) following an international design competition.
ZHA’s appointment has been made by GVK, operators of Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji International (CSI) Airport that is fast approaching capacity.
In 2017 GVK formed a joint venture with the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the development arm of the State of Maharashtra, India, to build the new airport.
Navi Mumbai International Airport is a long-awaited addition to Mumbai and Maharashtra’s transport infrastructure and integral to sustaining the region’s continued growth. The foundation stone for the new airport was laid by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 18, 2018, with the project placed on a fast-track programme of completion.
Demand for air travel in India makes its aviation sector amongst the world’s fastest growing. The country’s airlines currently operate almost 450 passenger planes, with 900 additional aircraft ordered for delivery in the coming years, representing more than 200 per cent growth.
With a total planned capacity of more than 60 million passengers per year, NMIA will be built in Navi Mumbai, across Mumbai Harbour, connected to the city by the planned Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and rail links with the local and national networks.
As part of its commission, ZHA will be responsible for the overall long-term design and execution of NMIA’s Terminal 1, Air Traffic Control Tower and associated landside access.
Cristiano Ceccato, ZHA project director, said: “We are very proud to have been awarded the Navi Mumbai International Airport that will be a much-needed addition to Mumbai’s infrastructure and an additional gateway to India. Our ambition is for the design to speak to India’s future, while celebrating its present and honouring its past.”
Mouzhan Majidi, ZHA CEO, said: “Navi Mumbai International Airport is a transformative and unique project and we look forward to our partnership with GVK, working together to develop NMIA into one of the most sustainable passenger-centric airports in the world, and the opportunity to contribute to India’s continued growth and success.” - TradeArabia News Service
