How Airports change...

As I type this down sitting in the Security Area of the Chatrapathi Sivaji Domestic Terminal at Mumbai, I am just thinking how things have changed in Indian airports. I remember the Mumbai airport from my first trip to North America which was a little more than 5 years back (time flies and how!). That was the time I got my first taste of Mumbai airport and to be honest with you, it left a bad after taste!

It was crowded, dirty, could not handle all those flights or passengers, with either check in or security check rarely being completed on time. People were shouting at each other and every single passenger was complaining!

Cut out to Kochi International Airport in the later part of 2004 and earlier part of 2005 (during my stint in the Middle East), it was as if the same story was being repeated. With almost a dozen flights to various countries in the Middle East, all scheduled to leave within a time span of an hour or a little more than that, mornings would be absolute chaos at Kochi International Airport. No one would know what to do and where to go and everybody including the station crew and the passengers would be equally confused and irritated. Not a single flight used to leave Kochi Airport on time then…

Bangalore- November 2007- my first trip to Canada. If I call that experience a nightmare, I would be making an understatement! By this time the HAL Airport was operating at much in excess of its original capacity- leave alone some place to sit and relax, there was no place to even stand in the airport- thanks to the international services by British Airways and Lufthansa and the multitude of techies who used to take these flights every single day!

And how things have changed…today Mumbai International Airport is as good as the ones in Paris or Frankfurt or Brussels. Mumbai Domestic Airport could give any airport in any country a run for its money- not only in terms of ambience, space or aesthetics but also in terms of cleanliness- a trait that India has always trailed in. Cut to Bangalore, the new Airport is an Engineering marvel and a traveler’s delight. Very Modern construction and attention to even minute details make this airport truly international- its unique ambience and ability to handle crowds is really being spoken about.

Things have not changed significantly in Kochi but the introduction of the new check in hall at the International terminal has ensured that things are managed much better than what they used to be. With the kind of money the airport is making and with the kind of land it already possesses, there is no need for us to be surprised if the CIAL goes ahead with its multifarious development plans. The Golf track is already under progress and so is the Go karting track! Construction is in progress and there are plans to construct a 5 star hotel within the airport itself…

India is now the service center for the world and considering the number of Indian travelers per day, it is only logical that our airports are renovated and we rise to the occasion to cash in on the kind of money being spent by Indian companies on travel. Even the so called Economic Recession has affected only the short visits of the honchos high up the ladder. Go to any of the big international airports in the country and you will still see a young Indian techie beaming with pride at his/ her folks, all set to embark on his/ her first international trip!

It is reassuring to know that there is some work happening in this direction- There is frantic reconstruction happening at Delhi, which has also to do with the proposed Common Wealth Games next year and the Hyderabad Airport is every South Indian’s pride. Airports are what any tourist would see of any country and a well managed and well maintained airport always sends out positive vibes about the country to all the visitors. (KL Airport, anyone?). Things definitely are moving in the right direction and the day is not far away when Mumbai/ Delhi/ Bangalore/ Chennai/ Hyderabad airports will be spoken about in the same manner as, lets say, Paris/ Frankfurt/ Zurich/ London/ Brussels. Let us keep our fingers crossed and feel happy at what we have achieved and look hopefully into the future…