Now, operators can pay by credit card at airports in Mumbai

Mumbai: Incredible though it may sound, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) — the government organization that runs airports in the country — was stuck in the eighties till Saturday morning, which was when it discovered the credit card and its uses to collect fees from aircraft operators.
After requests from the aviation industry, the AAI on Saturday, finally, installed and inaugurated credit card swiping machines at the city airport and Juhu aerodrome, making them the first two in the country to allow cashless transactions. In the coming weeks, the facility is expected to reach other airports too. "It will be a huge relief, especially for those aircraft charter operators that fly to four-five airports in a day, for instance during election campaigns. Till now, the operators had to carry nearly Rs 50,000 or more cash, depending on the aircraft type, distance flown, parking facility needed, etc," said Captain Uday Gelli of Rotary Wing Society of India, the helicopter industry representative that put the credit card payment request before AAI two years ago.
REad News In full 21/09/13 Manju V/Times of India