NRI passengers look for way out of the fog

The tourism promotion slogan 'Incredible India' can take a whole new meaning when NRIs land at Delhi or Mumbai this winter. Between Dec 10 and around Jan 15 each year, flights are badly affected by the dense fog in Delhi.

As most flights from Europe and the US carrying full loads of NRIs and tourists arrive in the early morning when the fog is very dense they are sometimes diverted to other airports - as far away as Mumbai.

NRIs fume at the delays in landing and ask, "How come airports such as O'Hare in Chicago and Heathrow in London with heavy fog do not have this problem?" They use CAT-III landing systems.

The Delhi fog should not create these problems since the airport is also fitted with CAT-III landing system but Indian airlines do not want to spend millions of dollars to train their pilots for this system when the fog menace lasts for two or three weeks in a year. But the NRI - and tourist - traffic is the highest during this holiday period.

More airlines and more flights have added to the woes. Around 80 airlines are flying to India and in the last three years, seven new Indian airlines have taken off in India. Delhi handles 650 flights a day compared to 525 a year ago.

Flights keep waiting in the air to land for hours thus burning money in the form of fuel as the runways are crowded. As Delhi's two runways are not enough, a third is being built and is expected to become operational next year.

The airport simply cannot handle this traffic especially when mega construction activity is going on to rebuild and build a new one to be ready by 2010 in time for the Commonwealth Games.

On arrival, a passenger may have to wait patiently in a long queue to get immigration clearance and up to half an hour to collect luggage. Once out of the maze, the taxi and the traffic jam near the airport add to the annoyance.

The situation is worse when catching a flight out of Delhi. Check-in is a nightmare in the crowded departure terminal.

International passengers have fewer check-in counters and luggage scanning machines due to construction activity - leave alone sub-standard toilets, tacky shops and food counters. The plight of domestic passengers is equally trying. Tents have been pitched to accommodate domestic passengers due to flight delays.

Mumbai airport has a more welcoming ambience as spanking new terminals are in use. But parking is a major problem as there is just not enough space for all the planes and cars that come there.

Check-in is always crowded as there are not enough counters. Planes have to wait for landing and take-off as the runway is crowded; the parking lot is always full and one has to walk long distances. But there are compensations in the Terminal IB that has a fresh look, cafes, shops and a cheerful atmosphere - even TV screens with news channels, free newspapers, mobile chargers and wi-fi all over

The place is spanking clean and the staff is polite. Fog is not a problem here. Ok, this is not Hong Kong or Munich, Changi or Amsterdam that get World Airport Awards but it is a far cry from what the NRIs endured a few years ago - dismal, dreary and dirty.

Both Delhi and Mumbai have plans for additional airports to ease the pressure. A new airport at NOIDA near Delhi is on the cards but it will take a few years to construct.

When Jaipur is upgraded to international status, then some traffic can be eased, just as Amritsar International Airport has taken a great deal of Punjab traffic.

Similarly, a new airport is being planned at Navi Mumbai but it will again take around five years to divert the rivers and cut the hill and all the clearances come through before the construction is completed.

Basically, passengers are left to fend for themselves - be it the race to grab a trolley after arriving at the airport, jostling to check-in or queuing for immigration. When the flight is delayed, usually there is no information about why it is delayed and for how long - forget about snacks or a hotel room.

Last weekend, the main radar at Delhi airport created delays for arriving and departing passengers. The bigger problem was that this malfunction could recur in the coming foggy season to wreak havoc for already hard-pressed flight schedules.

Another domestic flight from Mumbai suddenly lost air pressure in the cabin and had to turn back. When delays occur, the staff becomes unhelpful and surly and no one seems to care for passengers. The rising superpower India then becomes really incredible - unbelievable.