Why privatisation is the key

Less than a week after the government decided to privatise the Mumbai and Delhi airports, a civil aviation ministry official put the move in context.

"The difference between the Delhi and Mumbai airports and other international airports is that of a slum and a five-star hotel," he said.

Consider this:

• A passenger arriving at the Delhi and Mumbai airports takes at least two hours to leave. At Singapore's Changi Airport, baggage claim and Customs checks require 30 minutes
• Across the world, a passenger spends 30 seconds at the immigration counter, in India one needs 2 minutes
• The world's average duty-free spending at airports is $20 per passenger and the Asian average is $8. In Mumbai and Delhi the spending per passenger is $1.5
• Across the world, airports use hands-free security checks, while in India, frisking is in fashion. Door-frame metal detectors purchased by the Airports Authority of India a couple of years ago are defective.
   

According to an International Air Transport Association survey, the Delhi and Mumbai airports were ranked last and second last, respectively, in a list of 57 airports.

The parameters were ambience, restaurants and hotels, shopping and parking facilities, waiting areas and lounges, connectivity inside and outside the airport, immigration, baggage clearance and Customs and other facilities.

The airports were evaluated on a scale of 1-5. While the world average was 3.6, Mumbai and Delhi scored 2.6.

The Mumbai and Delhi airports have no branded shopping outlets and most of them are managed by the India Tourism Development Corporation.

The Delhi airport has about 12 shops, while Mumbai has 15. Changi has around 70 shops, while Charles de Gaulle has 45 at a single terminal.

At the Mumbai and Delhi airports, passengers require at least 30 minutes to reach the city and the only mode of transport available is the taxi.

Most airports across the world, however, have inter-modal transport facilities. An express rail link connects Heathrow to Central London in 15 minutes, while the Frankfurt airport is located on a high-speed rail network, which connects it to all parts of Germany.

Other airports such as Charles de Gaulle, Moscow Domodedevo and the Birmingham International airport are investing heavily in upgrading transport links.

While the Heathrow airport, on average, spent $1.4 million per day over the past few years on customer service development and other facilities, the last investment made in Delhi was Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) to install a Category III A landing system in Runway 2 in 2000. In Mumbai, the government invested Rs 130 crore (Rs 1,300 million) in 1999 to build Terminal 2C.

No wonder, the Mumbai airport serves only 42 airlines and Delhi 36. Frankfurt caters to around 100 airlines, Heathrow 90 and Changi 60.