21 July,2009 09:16 AM IST | | Aanchal Kurmi
Imported conveyor belts cut clearance time from 20 minutes to sevenu00a0
Lohegaon Airport authorities pressed two imported conveyor belts into service at its new terminal on Wednesday, which has cut baggage clearance time from 20 minutes to seven.
The Airport Director, Capt S K Mahajan informed MiD DAY, "The trial run on Wednesday was smooth. The commuters were delighted with the new terminal, which has more open space than the over-crowded terminal."
The new arrival terminal will mostly serve domestic flights. It will be some time before the terminal receives passengers from international flights too.
Airport authorities informed MiD DAY that it would be another fortnight before the new terminal is opened to international passengers.
"While the domestic passengers are already using the new state of the art terminal, which has features like imported conveyor belts, escalators, elevators, restaurants and duty-free shops, international passengers will have to wait a little longer," he added.
The increasing air passenger traffic to Pune forced authorities to undertake the construction of this terminal, which is located to the east of the main airport building.
The passengers of Jet Airways Flight No 9W101 were the first to use the new terminal.
