7 August 2013
CHENNAI: The new international terminal at Chennai airport will open to passengers with 10 flights of four airlines scheduled to use thefacility on Wednesday .
A Jet Airways flight to Singapore will be the first flight from the terminal on Tuesday afternoon . More than 24 other airlines will continue to operate from the old facility . Airport officials said they would move the operations of other airlines to the new terminal in phases .
Indian carriers Indi-Go, Jet Airways and SpiceJet and French airline Air Austral will be operate services from the new international terminal . International airlines that normally operate at full passenger capacity willcontinueoperationsfrom the oldterminal .
"Leading airlines like Lufthansa, British Airways, Emirates and Etihad will not operate from the newterminaltillAirportsAuthority of India (AAI) provides proper facilities," an official with aforeign airlinesaid . "Air Austral hasdecidedtousethe newfacility since it usually has less than 10 Chennai-bound passengers ."
But the 65,000sqm new terminal, like the domestic terminal, will only serve as an entrance for passengers as they will be directed through a passageway to the oldterminalfor checks.
"After completing check-in and immigration, passengers will have to head to the old terminal where customs clearance and boarding will take place," an AAI officialsaid .
Since the new international terminal doesn't have duty-free shops, restaurants or pharmacies, passengers will have to use the old terminal, an airport official said . "The terminal is yet to get an alcohollicence," hesaid .
A Reunion Island-B angkok via Chennai Air Austral flight at 6.45am on Wednesdaywasinitially scheduledtobethefirst aircraft tousethe newterminal .
Published by: The Times Of India