| special | 17H I N D U STA N T I M E S , M U M BA IT H U RS DAY, N OV E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 1

Abhijit Patnaik and Tushar Srivastava■ research@hindustantimes.com

The aviation industry inIndia has come a long way.100 years to be precise.From humble beginnings,when Henri Piquet, afrench pilot, covered a dis-tance of 6 miles, carrying

6,500 mails on a biplane in 1911, to a flashyVijay Mallya “personally” selecting airhostesses and welcoming fliers, the indus-try's evolution has been interesting towatch.

And with an ever-expanding indus-try, flyers expect certain standards.The2011 HT-MaRS Airline Survey ranksdomestic airlines and airports on var-ious parameters to see which one pro-vides customers with the highest level

of satisfaction. Forairlines, the param-eters varied fromcabin crew andcheck-in process, toinflight meals andin-cabin experience.For airports, theyinclude ease ofaccess and depar-ture, food and bev-erages, terminalcomfort and ameni-ties, among others.

The hot racebetween full servicecarriers continues,with Jet Airways

pipping the 2009 chart-topperKingfisher Airlines for the lead spot.

As in the 2009 survey, the race forthe top two positions was close. Thebiggest loser was Spicejet, falling fromthe 3rd to the 6th rank. Indigo Airlines,at number 3, is the highest ranked lowcost carrier (LCC), or budget airline asthey are known.

Budget airlines are important in theIndian context. “Our typical consumer

is looking for immediate access to thecheapest fares,” said Director-Generalof Civil Aviation, E K Bharat Bhushan.They have not only made air travel moreaffordable— frequency and coveragehave improved as well. Be it Jodhpur,Nanded or Kandla, cheap flights areavailable everywhere. People who havenever considered flying are steppinginto airports now.

In India, LCCs and full-service car-riers have the same high standard ofcustomer service—the difference is onlya meal on board. However, with the topslots going to two full-service airlines,

it shows that the Indian traveller, thoughprice conscious, values comfort andservice equally.

Overall, the industry average for cus-tomer satisfaction is higher than the2009 Airline survey. “More people aretravelling and people are travellingmore. This may have resulted in pas-sengers expecting less than what theydid before and exhibiting higher satis-faction levels. Airlines are offering bet-ter services too. After all, competitiondoes have its compensation,” said RaghuRoy, CEO, Monitoring and ResearchSystems Private Limited, our knowl-edge partner for the survey.

The airline industry finds itself stuckin a paradox of high growth and heavylosses. The aviation market is growingat an annual rate of 15%. Domestic pas-senger traffic in India touched 53.6 mil-lion in 2010-2011. However, private air-lines in India have lost an estimatedR3,500 crore in the first six months of

the current fiscal year, more than theRs 2,900 crore they lost in all of 2010-11. IndiGo is the only airline to havemade profits this year.

A combination of low fares and highcosts are to blame. Some airlines, likeVijay Mallya’s Kingfisher, desperatelyneed capital to pay off debt.

The potential for growth is huge.India would require 1,320 new airplanesworth $150 billion in the next twodecades, according to aircraft makerBoeing Co.

With an equal balance of problems andpotential, the aviation sector is definite-ly up for an interesting and perhapsbumpy ride. Don’t forget to fasten yourseatbelt.

TOUCH DOWN The second edition of the Hindustan Times-MaRS Airline Surveyranks airlines and airports according to customers’ satisfaction

Image: IMAGESBAZAAR.COM, Imaging: SAKET MISRA

The Indian aviation sector in the pastdecade has faced highs and lows,finally levelling off to a stage where

major initiatives are needed to take thenext leap.

While India is perceived to be thebiggest and fastest growing market,where less than 1% of the one-billion-plus people take to flights, the recentprice war between domestic airlineshas raised the issue of their sustain-ability. The perception that India hasbacktracked on reforms, leaving littlespace for a level-playing-field for com-peting airlines, needs to be corrected.

Air India, despite suffering enormouslosses, continues to sell tickets belowthe operating cost. The government hasallowed this situation to continue bybailing them out — but private carri-ers are now facing the heat as a result.Last quarter witnessed all but one air-line suffering huge losses. A delegationof all the private airlines in the countryrecently met the aviation minister andsenior officials in the PMO, explainingtheir position and it seems Air Indiadespite bleeding, refuses to relent.

Civil Aviation should remain a pri-ority sectors. The government can be

credited with pursuing major policyreforms flagged during the NDA gov-ernment, but not much has been wit-nessed in the last seven years. Airportmodernisation has seen few achieve-ments. Not a single metro airport hasbeen modernised by the AirportsAuthority of India. The deadline forChennai and Kolkata airports contin-ues to be extended. Even the qualitymilestone is far inferior to what we seeat the Delhi and Mumbai airports(doneby private entities). Of the 36 non-metroairports selected for modernisation,only half have been completed.

We have Dubai, Bangkok, Singaporeetc emerging as transit hubs. Whateverlittle position Mumbai had as India’shub is gradually dwindling. Our airlinetax structure needs to be looked at soas to help airlines offer cheap ticketsthrough Mumbai and other hubs. Whyshould an international passengerchoose Delhi or Mumbai if he has topay an extra 10 per cent as tax?Unfortunately, the policy today is suchthat we give more incentives to Indianpassengers flying abroad than fortourism travel within the country.

Having said that the prospects arethere for the aviation industry in India,which can still be denominated to bein it’s nascent state. The industry hasseen sweeping reforms- the first wasduring Mr. Madhav Rao Scindia’stenure in 1990, the second during Mr.Vajpayee’s tenure in 2003. Several pol-icy initiatives have to be put in placebefore we can finally see the third legof reforms in the aviation sector.

Rajesh Pratap Rudy is formerUnion Minister for Civil Aviation.

expertcomment

OVERALL, THE INDUSTRYAVERAGE FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION THIS YEAR ISHIGHER THAN THE 2009AIRLINE SURVEY

user’s choiceHT- MARS AIRLINE SURVEY

Aviation sectorneeds policy rethink

India’s bestairlines

R A J I V P R ATA P R U DY

ON THE WEB■ For additional coverage on this year’ssurvey, log on to

www.hindustantimes.com/topairlines

The HT-MaRS AirlineSurvey was carried out in 10cities in August-September2011, before Kingfisherannounced that it is goingto close down its low-costcarrier, Kingfisher Red,within the next four months.Kingfisher Airlines has, asof Tuesday, cancelled 34flights across many sectorsin the country.

DISCLAIMER

India on boardIndia on board

Score Rank2011 2009 2011 2009

Jet 806 786 1 2Kingfisher 798 794 2 1Indigo 785 761 3 4Kingfisher Red 784 746 4 6Jet lite 782 745 5 7Spice Jet 782 773 6 3Go air 775 752 7 5Indian 766 736 8 8Industry Average 788 765

Score RankBengaluru 815 1Delhi T3 748 2Delhi T1 739 3Chennai 733 4Hyderabad 723 5Ahmedabad 722 6Mumbai 719 7Indore 705 8Jaipur 703 9Lucknow 700 10

DISCLAIMER :The survey data is a copyright of Mars Pvt. Ltd and HT Media Limited. Any use of this survey data would lead to infringe-ment of their copyright and may result in legal action against the Infringer.

EVOLUTIONOF AVIATIONIN INDIAA flight back intotime takes usthrough the majormilestones in the100-year long histo-ry of civil aviation

1937The IndianAircraft Actwas formu-lated togovern theaviationindustry.

1911The first commercial civilaviation flight in India tookplace when Henri Piquetcarried 6500 mails on aHumber biplane, betweenAllahabad and Naini, a distance of 6 miles.

1912Indian State Air Servicesin collaboration with UK-based Imperial Airwaysintroduced the London-Karachi-Delhi flight, thefirst international flight to-and-from India.

1924Construction of CivilAirports in India began atDum Dum in Calcutta,Bamrauli in Allahbadi andin Gilbert Hill, Bombay.

1927A separate Department ofCivil Aviation was estab-lished to look after all civilaviation matters. The AeroClub of India was alsoestablished this year.

1929JRD Tatawas award-ed the firstpilot licenseby the FederationAeronautique Internationalon behalf of the Aero Clubof India and Burma.

1931Lt.Col. Shelmerdine wasappointed first DirectorGeneral of Civil Aviation(DGCA) to look after civilaviation regulatory issues.

1932JRD Tata founded TataAirline, the first Indian air-line. At the time of inde-pendence, nine air trans-port companies carriedboth air cargo and pas-sengers.

1933-34A number of Indian air-lines including IndianTrans ContinentalAirways, Madras Air TaxiServices, Indian NationalAirways etc., commencedoperations.

TOP AIRLINES TOP AIRPORTSOVERALL RANKS

H I N D U STA N T I M E S , M U M BA IT H U RS DAY, N OV E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 118 | special |

user’s choiceHT- MARS AIRLINE SURVEY

Abhijit Patnaik■ abhijit.patnaik@hindustantimes.com

Ask the average Indian travellerwhat she wants most from herchoice of airline, and the answersvary from ‘convenient schedule’,‘quality of food’ and of course

‘best value for money’. With a generationof Indians who believe that time saved ismoney earned, flying has become the pre-ferred medium of travel. Gone are the dayswhere it was considered a luxury.

With domestic passengers growing from1.4 crore to 4.6 crore between 2000-2010,Indians are clearly flying high. In the 2011HT-MaRS Airline survey, Jet Airways hastopped in eight of the nine parameters thatcustomers rated airlines on, from ‘check-in process’ to ‘boarding’ and ‘meals’.Kingfisher Airlines, the 2009 survey top-per, was a close second. The airline whichhas seen the biggest fall was Spicejet. Otherlow-cost carriers such as IndiGo and thesoon-to-be-shut-down Kingfisher Red haveclimbed in terms of scores as well as rank.

The key drivers of this sector in Indiahave been an increase in cargo, touristtraffic and a decrease in fares owing tolow-cost carriers leading to the hugeincrease in passengers. Looking at thefuture, a majority of the growth is expect-ed to come from tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

Bombardier, an aircraft manufacturer, hasestimated that 40% of domestic demandin India will be from smaller towns by 2015.

Given these trends, airlines are offer-ing something for all — be it frequent flierslooking for service and comfort or the firsttime flier looking out for the best deal.

“Jet Airways offers the best scheduleswhile Indigo is extremely disciplined in itson-time performance,” said Mumbai-basedentrepreneur Milan Zatakia, summing upthe demands of today’s frequent fliers.

For the born-in-a-hurry types, the risein options has been a blessing. “I preferair travel because it saves time, and is notthat expensive if one compares it with thetime and energy saved,” said JayantKrishna, an IT consultant in Lucknow.

A study by the International CivilAviation Organisation suggests that $100spent on the airline industry generates$350 for the economy overall and 100 addi-tional jobs in air transport creates 650new jobs across the economy. With moreairports and greater connectivity to met-ros, smaller towns are expanding theirbusiness avenues, fuelling growth.

Flying from such towns has its uniqueadvantages. “Bhopal is a comparativelysmaller town where you can easily reportto the check-in counter 45 minutes inadvance. Moreover the traveling time fromhome to the airport is barely 20 minuteswhich makes it convenient,” he adds.

The story of the airline industry in Indiahas slowly moved away from how cheapthe Delhi-Mumbai ticket has gotten, tohow these cities have become prominenton the aviation map.(With inputs from Soubhik Mitra in Mumbai,Anupam Srivastava in Lucknow and RahulNoronha in Bhopal)

Airlines touch down in smaller towns

VIJAYANAND GUPTA / HT PHOTOS

BOMBARDIER, AN AIRCRAFTMANUFACTURER, SAYS THAT40% OF DOMESTIC DEMANDWILL COME FROM SMALLTOWNS BY 2015

TAKE OFF The airline industry in India is poised for high growth. The next decade will see flyers from tier-II and III cities leading the way

Landing/taking offJet 818Kingfisher 806Kingfisher Red 790

Airport servicesJet 830Kingfisher 805Spice Jet 796

Arrival servicesJet 801Kingfisher 801Indigo 780

Cabin crewJet 811Kingfisher 808Kingfisher Red 803

Check in processJet 764Kingfisher 763Indigo 751

Filght boardingJet 806Jet Lite 805Kingfisher 801

Inflight meals/cateringJet 809Jet Lite 804Kingfisher 796

In cabin experienceJet 819Kingfisher 804Indigo 800

TOP3AIRLINES SERVICES OFFERED

DelhiJet 797Kingfisher 767Kingfisher Red 762

KolkataJet 809Indigo 762Indian 752

MumbaiJet 797Spice Jet 770Kingfisher Red 769

ChennaiJet 755Kingfisher 735Spice Jet 723

HyderabadJet 838Spice Jet 822Indigo 810

BangaloreKingfisher 900Jet 892Kingfisher Red 888

AhmedabadJet 876Spice Jet 858Indigo 835

LucknowJet lite 864Indigo 809Kingfisher 806

JaipurKingfisher Red 811Spice Jet 738Jet 732

IndoreJet 805Indian 795Kingfisher 782

TOP3AIRLINES TOWNWISE

DISCLAIMER :The survey data is a copyright of MaRS Pvt Ltd and HT MediaLimited. Any use of this survey data would lead to infringement of their copy-

right and may result in legal action against the Infringer.

Zehra Kazmi■ zehra.kazmi@hindustantimes.com

With a clean sweep of all the fourmetros, Jet Airways hasemerged as a clear winner in

the HT-MaRS Airline Survey. Passengersacross India have given the airline aresounding thumbs-up.

“Whenever I have flown Jet, the serv-ice has been consistently good. They arehelpful and considerate. And the uniformsof the flight crew are pretty good too!” saidAnkita Biswas, a management student.Jet has dethroned Kingfisher Airlinesacross various survey parameters suchas cabin crew, airport services, and check-in process from the 2009 survey.

The overall satisfaction score for both,

Jet and Kingfisher have risen, but the risehas been greater for the former. For Jet,the 2009 score was 786 points comparedto 806 now, indicating that the airline hasbeen able to deliver 'the joy of flying' thatits tagline promises.

“I prefer Jet because they offer greatcustomers and lounge services,” said RamMohan, 55, a software consultant.

Attuned to market needs, the airlinehas continued with Jet Konnect andJetLite in sectors where full service car-riers do not operate and has also venturedinto international operations.

But while Jet has shone on the interna-tional front, it has lost some of its homeground. “Jet has been focusing more ontheir international operations. With theentry of Indigo, Spice and GoAir in the

domestic operations, the game has changed. But Jet still has high standards and pro-

fessionalism”, said Kapil Kaul, CEO SouthAsia, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

With all the praise, there is still roomfor improvement. “The food has becomeprogressively worse and they need to dosomething about it,” said Biswas.

With the competition nipping at itsheels, the airline has its work cut out. Butit is clearly advantage Jet for now.

Jet, set, go: Landing first on the tarmac

Shubhi Vijay■ shubhi.vijay@hindustantimes.com

While satisfaction levels withKingfisher Airlines haveimproved from the 2009 Aviation

survey, the airline has slipped to the num-ber two spot overall. But it is far from los-ing its flash.

For Pradeep Varma, 55, a freelanceconsultant in Delhi, the first choice is al-ways Kingfisher. This gold card mem-ber says the comfort factor lures him in.This is reflected in its high score in the“in-flight reading” parameter, showingthat the airline pays attention to detail.

With Kingfisher Red slated for a shutdown, growing concerns about the air-line’s finances which have led to a cut innumber of flights, competition fromlow-cost carriers such as IndiGo on sec-tors in which it had an advantage be-cause of the acquisition of Air Deccan, itmay seem that the ‘good times’ are onthe wane.

But Kingfisher continues to provideits customers quality service. “Once, Ihad exceeded the baggage limit bymore than 10 kg but the staff did notcharge me for it. Low cost airlines areextremely strict about baggage limits,”said Mumbai resident Abhishek Gupta.

“A clean craft, polite staff and excel-lent in-flight service are things that

make you think of Kingfisher every timeyou fly,” adds Varma.

The janta in maharaja Mallya's courtseem happy with their choice of carrier.The airline was Bangalore’s top choicein the metro-wise rankings.

Anubhav Gupta, a student in Banga-lore explains why: "It's not just aboutthe luxury or that it’s UB Group's child,the routes Kingfisher offers from Ban-galore are a big factor.”

Kingfisher has also done well in Del-hi, Chennai, Lucknow and Indore, thusproving that it can hold its own, awayfrom ‘home’.

Though cost is the most important de-ciding factor, Kingfisher customers don’tmind shelling out an extra buck. As far asthe experience of flying is concerned, the‘king’ in Kingfisher is still intact.

(With inputs from Soubhik Mitrain Mumbai)

92.1% On timeperformance

18.2% MarketShare

0.6% FlightCancellation

46 Number ofdomestic centres

AIRLINE REPORT CARD

‘King of goodtimes’ nomore?

HT Correspondent■ research@hindustantimes.com

It may be the newest kid on the block,but IndiGo has taken the Indian air-line industry by storm. Established in

2006, it has taken off in a big way, becom-ing a big name in the low-cost carrier mar-ket in no time. No wonder then, IndiGoemerges as the best low-cost carrier inthe HT-MaRS Airline Survey 2011.

The success story of low-cost carriersis linked to the growth of India’s smalltowns and IndiGo has thrived on this.

“The in-flight snacks are one of the bestand since I am a frequent flier, the airlineground staff at Guwahati are extra friend-ly and helpful,” said Patricia Mukhim, 53,editor of The Shillong Times.

Offering routes between cities whichwere hitherto unconnected, IndiGo hasscored high satisfaction ratings in Kolkata,Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

These carriers have also encouragedpeople to switch to air travel. In a price-sensitive market like India, IndiGo scoresa hit by offering cheaper deals.

“If you buy a ticket 15-20 days in advance,you can get it cheaper than other airlines.IndiGo offers good connectivity to locationsvia Delhi or Kolkata,” said Dr AmulyaKumar Singh, an orthopedic from Patna.

Passengers all across India rave aboutIndiGo’s on-time performance, the high-

est amongst all airlines at 92.4%. PallaviSingh, a marketing consultant, says: “Theyare always on time and often before time,which is remarkable.” Singh concurs, call-ing punctuality the ‘hallmark’ of the air-line. “Recently, I travelled to Pune and theflight reached before time,” he adds.

The turn-around time for an IndiGoflight is less than 30 minutes, a hard featto match. Though there are no compli-mentary meals on this no-frills airline, theservice and performance matches the best.

The IndiGo formula seems to be work-ing its magic, as it is the only profitableairline this year. While veterans likeKingfisher and Jet languish in losses,IndiGo has posted a profit of R650 cr forthe financial year 2010-11.

So look out, big boys, the competitionhas arrived.

(With inputs from Rahul Karmakar inGuwahati)

‘IndiGo’ingplaces at lower prices

Tushar Srivastava■ tushar@hindustantimes.com

Once a symbol of pride and nowdismissed as a white elephanttorn between empire-building

babus and demanding trade unions,Air India (AI) is struggling to find abalance between an overarching pub-lic sector culture and the difficultdemands of an aggressive, competi-tive industry in which both no-frillsplayers and full service charmers arecornering India’s national carrier in apincer attack.

Rohit Nandan, AI’s new chairmanand managing director, can take heartfrom the fact that despite being thelowest scorer in the HT-MaRS AirlineSurvey for the second time, the cabi-net seems poised once again to drop afinancial lifeline to the airline which ishemorrhaging even as it had lined upthe purchase of a 111-strong new fleet.

“You need someone with the passionof JRD Tata to return the airline to itspast glory. Unfortunately, we havenobody with that kind of passion inIndia,” said Captain MohanRanganathan, an aviation expert.

From a combined profit of over R75crore in 2005-06 to losses of R7,000crore that AI is estimated to incur infiscal 2011, the story has been one ofconstant decline.

The airline scored a measly 766index points as compared to others,finding favour only in Kolkata andIndore in the city-wise ranking.

Poor management, controversialhires, political interference have all con-tributed to bringing AI to its presentstate. The airline has an unusually highemployee-aircraft ratio of 243:1 (indus-try average is around 150:1), yet theservice leaves much to be desired.

EK Bharath Bhushan, DirectorGeneral, Civil Aviation, expressed nosurprise at AI’s low scores. “They needto improve on-time performance, clean-liness; basically every single parame-ter,” he said.

Has theMaharaja losthis crown?

92.4% On timeperformance

18.7%Market Share

0.1% FlightCancellation

26 Number ofdomestic centres

AIRLINE REPORT CARD73.7% On timeperformance

18.7%Market Share

3.1% FlightCancellation

49 Number ofdomestic centres

AIRLINE REPORT CARD91.5% On timeperformance

18.8%Market Share

1.4% FlightCancellation

63 Number ofdomestic centres

AIRLINE REPORT CARD

1939Urmila K Parikh becamethe first Indian woman toget a pilot’s license. TataAirlines started air mailservices on the Karachi,Ahmedabad, Bombay,Bellary and Madras routeson October 15.

1941India’s firstaircraft,the Harlowtrainer,was rolledout for testflight.

1945Deccan Airways wasfounded, a joint venturebetween the Nizam ofHyderabad and the Tatas.Its first flightbegan inJuly 1946.

1946TataAirlineswasrenamed asAir India

1948Indian government estab-lished a joint sector com-pany, Air India InternationalLtd in collaboration with AirIndia with R2 crore capital.The inaugural flight took offon June 8, 1948 on theMumbai-London air route.

1953The Air CorporationsAct, 1953 nationalisednine airline companiesand Indian Airlines wasborn. The government-owned airlines domi-nated Indian skies tillthe mid-1990s

1960India entered the jetage with the introduc-tion of Boeing 707-437 into the fleet of AirIndia. India and USAwere connected forthe first time by anIndian Airlines flight.

1990...Private airlines enteredthe fray after the de-regu-lation of the civil aviationsector. The East WestAirlines was the firstnational level private air-line to operate in thecountry after 37 years.

Captain NiveditaBhasin(left) ofIndian Airlines at26 became theyoungest pilot incivil aviation his-tory to commanda jet aircraft.

India’sbest

airlines

| special | 19H I N D U STA N T I M E S , M U M BA IT H U RS DAY, N OV E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 1

Air India entered theGuinness Book of WorldRecords for the largestevacuation effort by anairline when it carried over1.11 lakh passengers fromAmman to Mumbai justbefore the Gulf war began.

1994Private airlines werepermitted to operatescheduled services andprivate players includingJet Airways, Air Sahara,Modiluft, East WestAirlines commenceddomestic operations.

1998The firstprivateairportcame upin Cochin,Kerala.

2003The ‘low costcarrier’erabeganwhen AirDeccanstarted itsservices.

2005Kingfisher Airlinesbegan operations.The government des-ignated Air India,Indian Airlines, JetAirways and AirSahara to start inter-national services.

2010The brand new T-3terminal was inaugu-rated in New Delhi’sIndira GandhiInternational Airport.Pawan Hans startedits sea plane servic-es Jal Hans.

1999Tragedystruckwhen theIndianAirlines IC814 flightwashijacked in Kandahar.

Source: PIB

user’s choiceHT- MARS AIRLINE SURVEY

India’sbest

airlines

TOP FOUR AIRPORTSThe HT MaRS Airline Survey rated customer satisfaction with various airport services such as quality of food and beverages, parking facilities, ease oftransit through airport, courtesy of staff at security check-in etc. Bengaluru airport was ranked one. The top four airports are listed below.

Bengaluru Delhi - Terminal 3 Delhi - Terminal 1 Chennai

AJAY AGGARWAL / HT PHOTOS

The survey was carried out by MaRS Monitoring andResearch Systems Private Limited among 2200 menwho had taken at least six flights in the past one year.The sample was spread ten towns- Delhi, Jaipur,Lucknow, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Indore,Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.People have clearly exercised their choice. About 85%of the sample respondents have used more than oneairline in the past one year. On an average, a passen-ger has used 2.6 airlines in the past one year. Fromeach respondent a rating of a maximum of two airlines,the two most used, were taken. The achieved sampleof passengers was 301 for Go Air, 304 for Jet Lite, 331for IndiGo, 336 for Spicejet, 391 for Kingfisher Red,667 for Air India, 783 for Jet Airways and 936 forKingfisher.Survey team was led by Mr. Gaurav Panakel (gau-rav@marspvt.net). Interviews were carried out using afully structured questionnaire.

METHODOLOGY

Zehra Kazmi and Shubhi Vijay■ research@hindustantimes.com

Instead of the familiar roar of a Boeing777 kissing a brand new tarmac, theinauguration of Delhi's swanky

Terminal 3 will be remembered more forthe yelp of a dog being chased off India'slongest runway. The dog clearly stole thethunder from India's largest terminal thattook more than three years to build.

The story of Indian airports is not allglass, chrome and steel. There was a timewhen airports were merely an after-thought. As Kapil Kaul, CEO South Asia,CAPA, puts it, “Earlier, Indian aviationwas only about Air India. That scenariohas changed. Now it is also about the air-ports.”

In 1998, public-private partnershipsarrived on the Indian scene, changing theface of Indian aviation. CochinInternational Airport became the firstproduct of such a partnership. There havebeen four others- Mumbai, Delhi,Hyderabad and Bangalore.

The HT-MaRS Aviation Survey hasranked Bangalore airport as the best inthe country for the second survey in arow. “The new Bangalore airport is anexperience in itself. The coffee shops,bookstores and retail outlets make it muchmore attractive than the stark older one,”said Tara Fernandes, student.

Though Bangalore airport has main-tained its lead, the new Terminal 3 inDelhi, with its sheer size and snazzy inte-riors, has earned a nod of approval frompassengers. But despite the shock-and-awe it created, it has yet to live upto itshype.

“With T3 we are blinded a bit by theglam but a lot of work needs to be done.The time required for disembarkation istoo much, toilets need to be placed con-veniently and security checks have to bestreamlined,” said Ram Mohan, a con-sultant in Delhi.

Over the years, the number of fliersusing airports has increased, making thembusy places indeed. Regional centres aregaining momentum. For instance, thenumber of passengers using Jaipur air-port has risen by 250% since 2005-06.Patna has more than doubled the num-ber of flights in the last year. Director-General of Civil Aviation, E K BharatBhushan feels that the growth is and willbe equally 'well-spread'. “Thirty-five non-metro airports are being modernized atthe moment. Smaller towns are comingup. The economics demands it,” he said.

The 1460-acre Dr BabasahebAmbedkar International Airport atNagpur offers better air connectivity todomestic and foreign destinations, morepassengers and more airlines. Given itsgeographical advantage, it links smallercities and emerging metros in Vidarbhaand Central India.

Today, international airlines such asOman Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines andBuddha Airlines operate direct flights to

the once sleepy airport at Lucknow.But challenges lie ahead for airport

development. Land acquisition (like thatfaced by the Navi Mumbai airport), scarci-ty of funds and security hassles are justsome of them. As the number of airlinesjostling for airspace has risen, air con-gestion is another problem that needs tobe tackled.

Authorities in Indore were forced tobuild a smaller car park at the new ter-minal of the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airportdue to land transfer issues.

“Airports should offer airlines the entirebenefits of the back-end so that the air-lines focus on quicker turn around times,landing and taking-off seamlessly with-out any glitches. That will save time andcosts,” says Kaul.

The task of modernising airports isstill a work-in-progress.

“Modernisation is not just about snazzybuildings. Technology scale-ups, likeinstalling a satellite-based tracking sys-tem are important as well,” said Bhushan.“Looks aren't all that matters, after all.”

But perhaps only in India, a trip to theairport can sometimes substitute for atrip to the zoo. In July 2011, a Kingfisherflight was stranded for hours when a fewpeacocks were sighted on the runway atNagpur airport. Several barking deer andwild boar roam inside the vast airportcampus. A major mishap was avertedwhen an Indigo pilot tried to save twosnakes on the runway last year.

Now, that truly is Incredible India!(With inputs from Ruchir Kumar inPatna, Pradeep Kumar Maitra in Nagpur,Rashpal Singh & Sachin Saini in Jaipurand Anupam Srivastava in Lucknow)

TRAVELLER COMFORT Airports in India are better and offer more facilities.The HT- MaRS Airline Survey ranked airports according to services offered

ACCESS & DEPARTURE FROM AIRPORT

Score RankBangalore 833 1Jaipur 775 2Delhi T3 737 3Chennai 734 4Delhi T1 728 5Indore 713 6Mumbai 707 7Lucknow 693 8Ahmedabad 648 9Hyderabad 621 10

AttributesAvailability of baggage carts/trol-leys, Parking facilities, Transport toreach place of stay from the airport.

GETTING AROUND IN THE AIRPORT

Score RankBangalore 821 1Ahmedabad 808 2Hyderabad 767 3Lucknow 763 4Delhi T1 757 5Chennai 751 6Delhi T3 743 7Kolkata 737 8Mumbai 726 9Jaipur 701 10

AttributesBoarding info/Flight screens, Easeof Transit through Airport, Signagearound Terminal areas.

TERMINAL COMFORT AND AMENITIES

Score RankBangalore 827 1Hyderabad 778 2Ahmedabad 772 3Delhi T3 762 4Chennai 748 5Mumbai 746 6Delhi T1 744 7Lucknow 738 8Kolkata 724 9Indore 700 10

AttributesCleanliness of Public Areas, Courtesyand helpfulness of airport staff,Waiting Comfort & Seating facilities.

ACROSS PARAMETERSTOP10AIRPORTSFOOD AND BEVERAGES

Score RankBangalore 806 1Delhi T3 764 2Delhi T1 741 3Hyderabad 714 4Mumbai 709 5Chennai 706 6Indore 703 7Kolkata 655 8Jaipur 654 9Lucknow 644 10

AttributesChoice and price of Food &Beverage outlets, Staff Serviceat Food & Beverage outlets.

EXPERIENCE WITH SECURITY

Score RankBangalore 830 1Ahmedabad 829 2Hyderabad 811 3Lucknow 801 4Delhi T1 791 5Delhi T3 791 6Chennai 783 7Kolkata 772 8Mumbai 748 9Indore 709 10

AttributesCourtesy and helpfulness of securitystaff at entry point, Waiting time atsecurity check-in.

Gateways of India

JAIPUR AIRPORT HAS SEEN A250% RISE IN PASSENGERTRAFFIC SINCE 2005. IN PATNA,THE NUMBER OF FLIGHTS HASDOUBLED IN THE LAST YEAR.

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Once I had exceeded the bag-gage limit by more than 10 kgbut Kingfisher staff did not

charge me for it. A B H I S H E K G U P TA

Resident,Mumbai

Jet Airways offers the bestschedule while Indigo is

extremely disciplined in its on-time performance

M I L A N Z ATA K I AEntrepreneur, Mumbai

Train and roadways are obso-lete now as I don't have timeand energy to waste. For me,price, comfort, and flight tim-

ings all combined together.A PA R N A G E H L O TApparel dealer, Jaipur

voxpop

Located 35 km away from the city's cen-tral hub, Bengaluru InternationalAirport is in Devanahalli, off NationalHighway 7. Though the drive to the air-port is long and tiring, the airport itselfis a darling of passengers who find itclean and comfortable.

The airport scored a total of 815 indexpoints, pipping the new T3 terminal aswell. Bengaluru Airport scored particu-larly high in the 'access and departurefrom airport' as well as the 'terminalcomfort and amenities' parameters.

Check-in and immigration is a breeze,while the facilities are a major improve-ment from the old airport where chaosreigned supreme. The state-of-the-artlounges, equipped with comfortableseating, wi-fi facility and televisions oozeluxury and comfort, but most passen-gers find the departure hall crampedand wanting in space. Food options canbe improved as well.

The upscale T3 terminal was inaugurat-ed last year amid great chest-thumpingfanfare. Spread over 5.4 million squarefeet, everything about the new terminalscreams 'big'. It’s equipped to handle 34million passengers annually, with 95immigration counters and a 100-roomtransit hotel. The multi-level car park-ing, with a capacity of 4,300 cars, is thelargest such facility in India.

The massiveness of the airport hitshome as soon as you enter it, but theovertly-patterned, garish carpet ham-pers the movement of luggage.

The airport scores high in the accessand departure from the airport' and'food and beverages' categories, with awide array of restaurants and a directMetro line. But the multiple, haphazardsecurity checks and confusing signageearn it low scores in the 'getting aroundin the airport' and 'experience withsecurity' categories.

A few years ago, the Delhi airport couldnot live up to the expectations of a cityaspiring for a place on the world map.Dirty, lacking in essential amenities,unhelpful staff-these were just a few ofthe problems welcoming people intoDelhi. In 2006, the GMR-led consortiumwas awarded the mandate to modernisethe Airport after a competitive biddingprocess and much has changed sincethen.

A far cry from its days of yore, theairport now has a wide array of restau-rants and cafes, comfortable lounges andis easily accessible. Although it doesn’thave the lights and glamour of Terminal3, but in its steely,old-world yet spruced-up avatar it is aiming for efficiency andperformance.

The airport scored high in the ‘foodand beverage’ category, as well as the‘getting around in the airport’ and‘access and departure’ categories.

Inching its way towards improvement,Chennai International Airport is tryingto keep pace with a changing city.Handling some 25 flights per hour on anaverage, the airport is now undergoingan expansion and modernization pro-gramme.

With construction underway, the air-port is disarray. But once completed, itpromises a new domestic terminal andbigger international terminals, capableof handling 23 million passengers a year.Over the next two years, the airport willboast of 104 check-in counters, 16 aero-bridges, 60 immigration counters andtwo runways.

The airport is well connected to thecity; though plans to connect it via metrowill take another four years. While theairport has scored well in the 'terminalcomfort and amenities' category, the toi-lets, which inspired horror stories frommany a passenger need to be improved.

1990...In April, the governmentadopted an open-sky pol-icy and allowed air taxi-operators to operateflights from any airport,and decide their ownflight schedules, cargoand passenger fares.