By 2012, City Airport’s Existing Air Traffic Control Tower Will Give Way To A 400-Cr Glass & Steel Work Of Art
Air traffic control towers that are also architectural statements in their own right have come to define airports born or reborn in the past decade. So if Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport boasts of the tallest Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower in the world with its stem shooting up to a height of 132 m, then the one at Abu Dhabi, shaped like a crescent moon, draws upon Islamic culture. And soon, Mumbai airport, too, will be part of this trend.
The airport’s new tower with its futuristic design is set to grab eyeballs when construction will be completed by the end of this year.
It will be the tallest structure in the vicinity. “The tower, which will be a striking landmark, will be 83 m from ground level. That is approximately the same height as a 30-storey building,” said a Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) spokesperson.
The existing ATC tower, which stands uncomfortably close to the secondary runway of Mumbai airport, is a modest 60 m. Unlike skyscrapers, air traffic control towers cannot afford to be too ambitious while scaling new heights because of their proximity to low-flying aircraft. “The old tower was tucked away on the airside. The new one is at a more prominent location, which was why we chose such a unique design,” said the official. The cost of the fully equipped tower is estimated at Rs 400 crore. It is slated to be commissioned by July 2012.
By the end of 2011, motorists plying the Western Express Highway will be able to catch a glimpse of the part of the tower that will house the Air Traffic Control room—a triangular three-dimensional structure with soft vertices. The interpretation is left to your imagination. It may look like a spaceship hovering over or parked at the airport or a ship atop the skyline.
Once the structure is completed, the Airports Authority of India will install new equipment as well as control and monitoring systems. This will be followed by a testing period, which is expected to take six to eight months. Air traffic controllers will begin their transition into the new tower in July 2012. Both, the old and the new ATC towers, will operate simultaneously for three to six months to overcome teething problems. From the new tower, an air traffic controller will be able to see five miles beyond beyond the start and end points of each of the runways.
From the stocky, uninspired concrete blocks of yesteryear to modern-day transparent polymer structures, ATC towers around the world are going through a renaissance of sorts.
Another notable ATC tower is the one at Edinburgh: It is a modest 57 m tall, but its sand-clock-inspired design and long slim waist has made it an iconic structure. The 83-metre tall tower at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport is a symbolic representation of Norse mythology. Its geometric design reflects the two Norse ravens Hugin and Munin who watched over the world. Incorporated into the tower’s design are quotes from French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupery, who is best known for the novella Little Prince—a philosophical tale centred around a pilot marooned in a desert.
Towering Facts
At 132.2 m, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport has the tallest air traffic control tower in the world
Last year, 25 weddings were held at the visitor’s balcony of Stockholm’s Arlanda control tower. Tower weddings come with the full service—check-in, the bridal couple’s own lounge with food and champagne, and transport to the waiting aircraft
New Jersey’s Newark airport commissioned the world’s first ‘Airway Traffic Control Tower’ in December 1935
LESS CONGESTION
The existing tower will be demolished because of which Mumbai airport will function more efficiently. Without the tower, there will be undisturbed cross runway operations for landings and take-offs
The location of the new tower will not pose any obstruction in the approach funnel of aircraft movement
A parallel taxi-track will be constructed along the secondary runway. These changes will make the secondary runway compatible with wide-bodied aircraft such as B747s, A330s
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