MUMBAI, August 12: Corporate leaders who fly across the country in their personal aircrafts will get a separate terminal at Mumbai airport from January 1998.A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held recently between representatives of top industrial houses in the city and officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). According to Mumbai airport sources, there are between 15-20 executive aircraft movements daily and the proposed facility for domestic travel at Gate No. 8, old airport complex, Kalina, is expected to streamline aircraft movements in the domestic airport.At present owners of personal executive jets, mostly top industrialists and technocrats, queue up with passengers of private airlines at Terminal 1B to gain access to their aircraft.Besides, it is inconvenient as the movement of executive jets from their parking in the old airport to pick up its waiting passengers at Gate No. 1 has to be co-ordinated with movement of commercial aircrafts.Airport sources point out that the current practice encourages corruption with protocol officers of corporate houses trying to help their bosses jump queues and obtain other help for a price. Increased VIP movement in the airport could also upset the schedules of CEOs.The Kalina facility will be an air-conditioned pre-fabricated structure with adequate security provisions. Passengers will undergo strict checks before they are escorted to their aircrafts in AAI vehicles. The corporate users of the facility include the Tatas, the Birlas, the Singhanias, Reliance Industries, etc.
