Mumbai, June 27: For over a decade, arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport's (CSMIA) Terminal 2 has meant stepping onto a sea of deep maroon, rich purple and intricate peacock patterns. The terminal's massive, custom-woven floor carpet has served as an instant visual greeting for millions of international and domestic flyers.
The iconic carpet, which is spread across a 20,445 sq m area inside the terminal building, has been one of the many unique features of the airport's design and has become a defining element of CSMIA's identity among frequent flyers.
However, this iconic carpet will soon become a thing of the past as the airport's operator, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), modernises the infrastructure.
According to sources, it is set to be replaced with a high-performance hard-surface flooring material, with the project expected to be completed by March 2027.
Iconic Carpet Nears Farewell
The famous carpet was conceptualised alongside the design vision of Terminal 2 and installed in 2014 to mark the terminal's grand opening. Utilising the historic Axminster weaving technique, each yarn tuft was mechanically locked directly into the base structure.
This method provided a heavy, three-dimensional texture specifically built to endure the friction of heavily loaded baggage trolleys and millions of footsteps.
The custom aesthetic intertwined the traditional Indian paisley motif with a stylised peacock feather theme, directly mirroring the terminal's famous ceiling pillars and architectural layout.
While the carpet effectively maintained its premium appearance for more than 10 years, the rise in passenger traffic put the fabric under unprecedented stress.
Continuous feedback from flyers gradually highlighted structural challenges, prompting airport authorities to focus on long-term freshness, cleanliness and ease of wheeled transit.
According to internal sources, the airport operator initiated the conceptualisation of the replacement in September 2024 and began planning and execution in July 2025, following extensive material testing, stress simulations and localised trial installations.
Terrazzo Flooring To Replace Carpet
Frequent travellers at Mumbai Airport have repeatedly highlighted that it was difficult to roll wheeled luggage on the carpet and that a hard surface would make transit easier.
To address these heavy-transit operational demands, the airport operator selected epoxy terrazzo as the successor material. Unlike woven yarn, epoxy terrazzo does not fray, fade or thin under relentless foot traffic, ensuring a consistent aesthetic profile over decades.
Moreover, experts say the non-porous, continuous surface allows rapid mechanical cleaning, eliminating the intensive vacuuming and deep-shampoo treatments required by the 20,445 sq m carpet. The high plasticity of epoxy matrices also allows designers to seamlessly embed complex geometric art directly into the floor.
Peacock Theme To Continue
Internal sources have confirmed that the airport operator will preserve the iconic peacock motif as a core element of the project. Rather than abandoning the terminal's visual legacy, the new layout will reinterpret the original peacock feather pattern.
The resulting design will offer a cleaner, more minimalist and elegant geometric expression that is expected to align with contemporary airport architecture.
A spokesperson for Mumbai Airport confirmed the development and highlighted that the peacock-inspired carpet has been an iconic part of the Terminal 2 experience for over a decade, welcoming millions of passengers from around the world.
"As the airport evolves to meet the needs of new-generation travellers, our focus remains on thoughtfully enhancing the passenger experience while retaining the cultural and artistic essence that has defined the terminal since its inception. At CSMIA, delivering an exceptional airport experience remains at the heart of our continuous enhancement efforts," the spokesperson said.
Phased Rollout By 2027
The final sections of the historic Axminster carpet will be fully phased out in favour of the finished terrazzo design by March 2027. MIAL is carrying out the work in phases during low-traffic periods, as any sudden or widespread closure of terminal zones at one of the world's busiest single-runway airports is not feasible.
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While sentimental passengers may mourn the loss of the soft, sound-dampening qualities of the iconic carpet, the incoming terrazzo floor promises a brighter, sleekly polished terminal environment built to comfortably withstand the next generation of global travel.
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