At a height of 26 feet above mean sea level, Mumbai airport serves as one of India's major international airports. It operates throughout the day, and currently handles upto 35 landings and takeoffs per hour. On November 3, 1995, Bombay airport reached a record 150 arrivals and 152 departures. International arrivals and departures are most frequent at night.
On arrival at the Sahar International Airport, the immigration, baggage retrieval and customs areas precede the remainder of the services. Exchange can be obtained at bank counters just outside the customs area. Hotel bookings and pre-paid taxis are available. There are no shops in the arrival area. The departure lounges are marginally better equipped for shopping. They also have a restaurant, a snack bar and exchange. However, check in and emigration are chaotic because of the bunching of flights at night. Phones are available at both arrival and departure.
On arrival at the Santa Cruz airport the baggage retrieval area is skirted by counters for various services such as hotel reservations. There is no pre-paid taxi counter, although some auto-rentals may represent themselves as such. Taxis are available from a policed queue outside the terminal. The departure area has minimal shopping and a snack bar. Phones are available at both arrival and departure.
Noise restrictions are minimal. There are restrictions on low overhead circling and idling engines on the tarmac. Aircraft taking off have to rise to a specific height and clear the Mumbai metropolitan area before making a turn. There are no noise detection systems, nor any surcharge or budget on noise in force.
The runways serve the domestic and international terminals. There are several runways, including one of length 11,630 feet, with a width of 153 feet.