Swanky new terminal opens at Santa Cruz

Domestic passengers can now wait for their flights in style as the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) opened a new terminal 1C at Santacruz on Saturday. The terminal that connects domestic terminals 1A and 1B is a security hold area where passengers can relax after checking in.

The posh terminal 1C, inaugurated on April 16, is spread over an area of 2,97,194 square feet. It will take care of 65 per cent of Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India passengers.  “It has six aero-bridges, which means passengers will board/alight the aircraft directly rather than being ferried into buses. This will save a lot of time,” said Sanjay Reddy, managing director (MD), MIAL.
The terminal has seating areas for 900 passengers, who can go for a quick bite at the fast food court, which has outlets for KFC, Domino’s, and Cafeccino, among others. They can also shop at retail outlets of premium brands like Swarowski, William Penn, Parcos, Bombay Store, Media Mart and Hidesign. 

Reddy said that they would also like to develop huge convention centers near the airport, like the ones seen in Hong Kong. He added that if need be, they will break down terminal 1B for further renovation and give it to the low-cost airlines to operate. The terminal 1B was built by Airport Authority of India (AAI) at the cost of Rs100 crore.

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel, who inaugurated the new terminal said, “In keeping with the idea behind terminal 1C, we want the road connectivity and periphery of the airport to be improved,” He also urged Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan to reduce sales tax on the aviation turbine fuel (ATF).