Ranchi, July 4: The Birsa Munda airport authority has done what airlines in rest of the world do — provide bus service to their passengers from departure terminal to the aircraft.

“To facilitate air travel of passengers during inclement weather conditions and continuing rains, the Airports Authority of India at the Birsa Munda airport in Ranchi has pressed a bus into service,” said A.V. Krishna, director of Birsa Munda airport. “It will ensure safety of passengers and shelter from rain and storm as they will no longer have to walk up to the aircraft,” he added.

The bus — a 22-seater Swaraj Mazda — will ply between the apron where aircraft are parked and the airport terminal for passengers to embark and disembark a flight. All airlines have been asked to avail of the service, for which each airline will have to pay Rs 500 per flight every day to the airport authority.

Air-India was the only airline to have had their own bus service between the terminal and the apron, while passengers of all other airlines had to foot it down, no matter what the weather condition was.

Sources said that despite the airport authorities repeatedly asking airlines to provide their own bus service, nothing moved. However, sources in private airline business said they have promised to start independent buses for passengers soon.

The move to ply a bus by the AAI comes following numerous complaints almost every day from travellers who have had to brave many an inclement weather. In fact, former IMA national vice-president Ajay Kumar Singh had complained to the authorities and asked them to ensure that passengers did not face this hardship.

Earlier, the issue had been raised at meetings of airport advisory committee where representatives of various airlines had been asked to provide vehicles. Normally, airlines take care of passengers by providing buses to reach an aircraft or return to terminal.