A live trial run will be conducted at the new international terminal of Chennai airport on Monday, said an official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
IndiGo flight 6E 053 from Chennai to Singapore will take off from the new terminal at 10 p.m. on Monday. Earlier, there were plans to also operate a SpiceJet flight the same day but now only IndiGo will be a part of Monday’s trial run, the official said.
Airport director H.S. Suresh said, “The airline will intimate its passengers of the development and guide them through the new terminal. We are still in need of manpower, so it is not clear yet when the terminal will begin full-fledged operations. Before the terminal becomes fully operational, signage will be put up for the benefit of passengers.”
Passengers will be able to get to the international terminal through the elevated corridor of the new domestic terminal, said Mr. Suresh. Also, the in-line baggage scanner, brought from Srinagar especially for the international terminal, would be made available for the trial run, he said.
Though the new terminals were inaugurated in January after an inordinate delay following completion of work, the domestic terminal began operations only in April. It is not known when the international terminal will open.
However, after operations begin in the new terminal, the old one will continue to be operated for a while. Also, only departures may be handled initially, an official said.
