The Hindu Business Line : Delhi, Paris airports among world’s worst 5

New Delhi, Nov. 29 Delhi airport has earned the dubious distinction of being counted as the second worst among the five airports around the world that make “travelling hell”. It is so bad because it is sheer chaos, says the US-based journal, Foreign Policy, in its latest edition.

“The IT boomtowns of Hyderabad and Bangalore have built shiny new airports in recent years, but old standbys like New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have failed to benefit from India’s economic expansion. Visitors report aggressive panhandlers, filthy bathrooms where attendants charge for toilet paper, and used syringes on the terminal floor,” states the article, which quotes an anonymous commentator statement of 2005.

The journal lists Leopold Sedar Senghor Airport, Dakar, Senegal; Mineralnye Vody, Russia; Baghdad International airport; and Charles de Gaulle International airport in Paris as among the worst airports around the world.

Airline officials say that while the picture being painted about Delhi airport by the article may not be fully correct, it was not too far off the mark.

“At the moment getting into the international airport is a big problem because of the sheer number of people there. The baggage system can be frustrating especially as often the baggage belt is changed at the last minute. But to be fair to the new airport operator, the immigration system has become faster although the airport could do with a lot more immigration counters,” said a senior airline official.

Making it a better place

Officials of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the new joint venture company engaged in the modernisation of the airport, refused to comment on the contents of the article. However, various statements issued by the company since they took over the airport in May last year point to the various initiatives taken to make the journey a better experience.

Work on the integrated passenger terminal and runway started in February this year and the new terminal would be inaugurated before the Commonwealth Games due to be held in 2010. The airport is to get a new runway and a domestic terminal by 2008.

DIAL has also started work on building a third runway, which would be the longest in Asia and would be able to accommodate the Airbus A-380 aircraft, the largest aircraft in operation at present. Plans have also been drawn for a new integrated passenger terminal which would serve both domestic and international passengers through 168 common use check-in counters.