On day 1, a bunch of satisfied fliers

Officials said the full capacity of the terminal was yet to be tested

A group of passengers travelling to Singapore was the first to check in at the new international terminal — Photo: M. Srinath

The months-long wait is finally over. The new international terminal at the Chennai airport was finally thrown open to passengers on Wednesday.

A little after 9 a.m., a group of passengers going to Singapore walked into the new international terminal, seven months after it was inaugurated.

Passengers had little to complain about. G. Selvaraj, 61, a retired bank employee from Chennai, said, “After the not-so-satisfactory services at the old international terminal, the new one is definitely a welcome change. Even the toilets are clean.”

Since only one flight was handled in the morning, passengers were able to check in without any hassle.

“I checked in within a few minutes of entering the terminal. Everything looks neat and clean today. The challenge is in maintaining these levels,” said 25-year-old J. Praveen, who runs a hotel in the city.

However, some of the passengers were unhappy over the lack of eateries in the terminal.

Others said sufficient chairs had to be kept outside the terminal for the benefit of those who come to send off the passengers.

After the first Jet Airways flight to Singapore at 12 p.m., two more flights — Air Austral to Reunion Islands at 5 p.m. and IndiGo to Singapore at 10 p.m. — were handled at the terminal.

Officials said the full capacity of the terminal was yet to be tested.

“It is only when large crowds and wide-bodied aircraft are handled will we know what kind of problems might crop up. It may take nearly a month for the departures to entirely shift from the old to the new terminal. Till then, the passengers have to be guided clearly from which terminal they have to check in and board,” said an official of Airports Authority of India.