Mumbai: Mumbai international airport long awaited Terminal 2 and the 2.2km elevated Sahar corridor that connects the Western Express Highway (WEH) to the new airport were finally opened to the public on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who officially opened the Sahar elevated road said: “We recently inaugurated the Eastern Freeway, Terminal 2 of the international airport and now the Sahar elevated road. Through these projects we are trying to solve traffic problems of this city, which is the financial capital of our country.”

The Rs4 billion (Dh236 million) project, which faced many delays, now offers seamless and signal-free connectivity from WEH, cutting travel time by around 30 minutes.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at the inauguration commended the efforts put in by local MLA Krishna Hegde to relocate the affected people and complete the enormous project.

Hegde said that 750 houses were shifted for this flyover and 250 houses, though ineligible, were given alternate housing. Among the relocated were 70 shops of marble traders, said Hegde.

Meanwhile, the new T2 at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) officially commenced international operations today with the shifting of all international flights from the old terminal to the new one. The first arrival was an Air India flight from Singapore scheduled at 1pm hours and the first departing flight was Jet Airways 9W 118 to London, Heathrow at 1.20pm.

Mumbai International Airport Ltd’s executive chairman Dr G.V.K. Reddy and managing director G.V. Sanjay Reddy welcomed the passengers of the first departing international flight at the terminal’s check-in hall.

To celebrate the first day, passengers were presented with goody bags. Similarly, arriving passengers landed to a water gun salute followed by a traditional Indian welcome of a “tikka” and a rose bud. After clearing immigration and customs, they were greeted at the arrival lounge with traditional Maharashtrian music and presented with gift bags.

The old international terminal was officially closed for operations on Wednesday at 2pm.

Some of the special features of the T2, which comprises four levels are: 208 check-in counters, 60 immigration counters for departure and 72 for arrivals; 52 boarding bridges as against the earlier 20, 10,900 seating capacity, 102 toilets, 161 elevators, escalators and travelators, 10 baggage carousels and a 200,000 sq ft landscaped garden

To make passengers feel more special, GVK CSIA has launched a unique social media campaign called #WelcomeToT2 that calls people to greet the first passengers in true “amchi Mumbai” style. This digital campaign harnesses the friendly nature that Mumbaikars are famed for.

And to help passengers click away the picturesque T2, a unique gallery showcasing India’s art and crafts, an Instagram campaign called #IAmT2Mumbai will help passengers photograph in an artistic way and upload it on Instagram.