After waiting for more than a year, private jet owners can skip long check-in and immigration queues at the international terminals to fly abroad.

Mumbai airport became the first in the country to offer dedicated international operations to private owners after a luxury Gulfstream jet, owned by a European charter company, took off from the airport’s corporate terminal at 10am on Monday.

Though the civil aviation ministry had permitted Mumbai International Airport Limited  (MIAL) to operate international charters a year ago, a lack of immigration counters and security holds delayed the service.  Private jet owners were upset about the fact that a lack of these facilities made them go all the way to the international terminal from the General Aviation  (GA) terminal at Kalina to get their immigration and security clearance. The terminal only catered to private domestic charters until now.