Agencies

MUMBAI, Jan 31: Air travellers have received a parting gift from retiring director of Mumbai airport Sudhir Kumar in the form of a major upgrade of Sahar International Airport.

Terminals 2-A, 2-C and 2-B will now have a common immigration facility at Terminal 2-B, which will be used by passengers arriving from 2-A and 2-C as well.

This modification, expected to be operational within a month, would effectively mean an additional eight immigration counters, taking the total to 40. Currently, there are 16 counters each at Terminal 2-A and 2-C.

“This is expected to speed up the clearance time to 15 minutes per passenger,” said Kumar, in his farewell address on Monday.

The new counters will receive passengers from 2-A and 2-C through aerobridges.

The passengers will then proceed to the customs clearance at their respective terminals, depending on their airline. This will  provide relief to passengers at Terminal 2-A, which normally has long queues.

The modification plan was kept under wraps for five years as the talks of privatisation of the airport were underway, said Kumar.

“But all upgrade projects would be taken up as interim measures if the privatisation talks are not consolidated soon,” he said.

The project, which cost the Airports Authority of India Rs1.5 crore, involved changing a 8,000-square metre area with vitrified tile flooring, wall and column cladding with aluminum composite panel, a gypsum board false ceiling and a glazed partition. Also, three escalators and an elevator were refurbished for the purpose.