Inside India's tallest Air Traffic Control tower

Mumbai has got a new iconic structure; it now boasts of the tallest Air Traffic Control tower in the country. Built at a cost of about Rs 100 crore, the new ATC stands 83.8 metres tall.

The wishbone-shaped structure at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) will be fully functional by December.

Click NEXT to take a virtual tour of the new ATC Tower…

Built over an area of 2,800 square metre, the new ATC tower in Mumbai will take care of 750 landings and take-offs and also control 960 other flights, including international overflying air traffic.

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The location and the height of the New ATC Tower will enable the tower controllers to have unobstructed view of the entire operational area, which will help in optimising air traffic separation and increase the traffic handling capacity at the airport.

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The glass used in the tower has a visibility co-efficient higher than 50.  It is also designed to withstand high speed winds.

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The new ATC Tower will be equipped with the latest technology including Electronic Flight Strips which will soften the work load of the Tower Controllers, enhance safety and overall capacity of the airport.

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Equipped to handle current and future air traffic movements at the airport, the state-of-the-art tower will help reduce the Runway Occupancy Time (ROT) and will further enhance efficiency levels and increase Air Traffic Movements per hour.

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Though the tower was recently inaugurated by Union aviation minister Ajit Singh and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, it is current unoccupied. The built will be completely functional in December.

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Though this is the tallest tower in India at present, it will soon lose its position. Another ATC Tower is under-construction at the Delhi international airport that boasts of 102 metre height, and will replace Mumbai ATC as the tallest tower.

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To meet the deadline, the tower was built with the help of 500 employees who spent over two million man hours.

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On inauguration, G V Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, GVK MIAL, said: “It (the new tower) was the team work, especially with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and strong support from some of world best designers, architects and construction professionals that helped us achieve this marvel.”

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The new tower will replace the old ATC structure (seen in the picture), which some international carriers felt obstructed the flight path.

The old tower will give way to rapid exit taxiways, thereby increasing operational efficiency.

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The new tower will provide five-mile clear visibility to controllers.

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Mumbai airport handles 44 million passengers every year as of now.

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A Jet Airways flight takes off from the runway at the Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

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A SpiceJet flight takes off from the runway at the Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The photo is shot from the new ATC Tower.

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A JetKonnect airplane is prepared before its next flight. The photograph is shot from the new ATC Tower.

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An IndiGo flight is Taxiing on the runway before taking off. The photograph is shot from the new ATC Tower.

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Taxis are parked outside the airport. The new ATC tower has a 360 degree view including views of the city skyline.

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Mumbai city skyline as seen from the new ATC Tower.

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Traffic is seen moving on the Western Express Highway close to Mumbai airport.

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In pursuit of  the most spectacular design for  the New ATC Tower, GVK CSIA awarded the design and architecture project to Hong Kong based architectural design firm HOK and international engineering design firm ARUP following a global Architectural and Engineering design competition.

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The Tower has three floors at the base and four floors at the top, including the Tower cab.

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A special type of anti-fungal and anti-carbonation paint is used to improve the life of the building.

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The centre of the tower is built in a ‘wishbone structure’ which adds beauty and strength.

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The tower has won the prestigious Autodesk Hong Kong Building Information Modeling (BIM) award and has also bagged the “Outstanding Concrete Structure” award by the Indian Concrete Institute (ICI).