With Christmas and New Year round the corner, party animals are finding it difficult to procure their favourite brands of imported whiskey and cigarettes.
With shops at airport closed for renovation, connoisseurs will have to shell out more money in the open market
MUMBAI: With Christmas and New Year round the corner, party animals are finding it difficult to procure their favourite brands of imported whiskey and cigarettes. The closure of the duty-free shops at the arrival and departure halls of the international airport for the last two months has hit those who used to manage their regular quota at duty-free rates.
Almost all the top-end brands cost around $30 to $40 (Rs1,200 to Rs1,600) per bottle, but the prices in the open market are three times higher. Both Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker Black Label cost Rs3,900 at the wine shops, according to Hiren Shah, a shop owner from Juhu.
“Apart from the price, we preferred duty-free stuff as it was always genuine; one is not sure of getting the original stuff outside,” said Amarjeet Singh Sandhu, who used to get his goods from the airport. “I will have to spend more than I did last year to entertain my friends,” Sandhu added.
Similarly, a ten-pack carton of Benson & Hedges that used to cost Rs750 in the open market is now priced at Rs900. To make matters worse, “most of the cigarettes are not even genuine,” says a cigarette vendor.
More than 30,000 passengers arrive at the Mumbai international airport every day. While most of them buy their liquor and cigarettes from abroad, nearly 20 per cent make last minute purchases at the Mumbai airport.
Airport sources said before the closure of the shops, they used to sell more than 3,000 bottles a day, most of which found their way to the blackmarket outside. In fact, there is a regular clientele for the goods.
“The duty-free shops at the departure and arrival halls are under renovation and will be open to passengers by the end of January 2008,” said Manish Kalghati, spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Ltd.
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