Hyderabad (HYD) | Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

[ajithv]

HYDERABAD: A week after the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport commenced commercial operations, GMR officials say that many of the airport systems are stabilizing but passengers using the new facility beg to differ.

Though GMR officials say the problems being faced at the new airport are similar to the ones faced in any other newly-opened international airports, but passengers point out that nothing can possibly explain why an "incomplete" airport was opened to commercial operations.

On Friday afternoon, Sukhendu Chakrabarti, COO with Gulf Oil Corporation took 45 minutes to reach his car after coming out of the airport arrival. With his car and driver stationed at the parking area, Chakrabarti found no directions or arrows to lead him to the parking area.

The ramp leading to the parking lot was closed and there was no one to guide. He found the elevator packed and chose the escalator to go down.

"I dropped my bag on the escalator and carried my suitcase," he says, but it was lugging his bag and suitcase "under the scorching sun" on the muddy track to the car that left him fuming. "The pathway was incomplete. I don't think they should have started it (the airport) unless it was completely ready," he says.

On Thursday, a group of senior Congress party members ran into rough weather at the airport. K Keshava Rao, Rajya Sabha MP landed at the new airport on at 8 am from Delhi by a Jet flight along with some party members.

Just when they walked out of the aircraft and entered the aerobridge, the main doors of the bridge suddenly closed trapping those inside it.

"We didn't know what to do. There wasn't a single attendant to help us out. Though we shouted for help, no one could hear us as the bridge is made of glass panels," Rao narrated to TOI.

The new airport, built with Rs 2,500 crore in about 5,500 acres, has about 12 aerobridges.

According to Rao, the facilities at the incomplete airport are far from offering quality service to passengers.

"Nothing is ready to make the airport operational. Going by our experience on the aerobridge, the airport developer seems to have not done even some of the basic tests on the equipment deployed," Rao alleged.

But what former vice-chairman of the National Knowledge Commission P M Bhargava went through on Friday night makes for a compulsive page-turner. From being rushed to remove his bags from his car when he reached the airport to finding no executive class lounge space, Bhargava shares a litany of incidents, the most glaring being the absence of proper flight announcements.

"When my Indian Airlines flight was announced, we were asked to proceed to gate 25 C but once we reached the gate we were told that it wasn't IA but a Jet flight that was going from there," he says, adding that meanwhile he was shown six buckets near gate no. 25 C that were collecting water that was "dripping from everywhere".

At the time when he was told that his flight still had to leave, the TV monitors announcing arrivals and departures showed "Gates Closed" even when boarding had not started, which led to confusion that the flight had taken off.

The absence of an executive lounge has irked Bhargava and even Keshava Rao. Rao along with Justice Sudarshan Reddy and T Subbarami Reddy (Union minister) couldn't find any lounge where they could wait for their delayed flights.

"We were taken to a place with two tables and two chairs. One of the employees told us that a VIP lounge was being created. Since we could not manage with those chairs and tables, we had no option but to hang around in the corridor,"he says.

However, a GMR official said these are teething problems. They cite examples of airports such as the Hong Kong International Airport that too faced "organisational, mechanical and technical" problems.

They also quickly narrate the incident involving the recently opened Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport wherein the in-line baggage system failed hours after the airport opened and claim that 70 flights had to be cancelled within the first two days.

GMR officials also cite the Suvarnabhumi International Airport at Bangkok when it comes to departure boards displaying wrong information and failures in check-in system during its initial days after opening.


Source : Times of India

[Indiavision]

[Hyd_Nipper]

Originally Posted by rkramesh

Projects like these inspire many (apart from being of sightseeing value due to it's novelty) - even the economically weaker sections(who are just as Indian) - indicates India transforming - we must let it impact the max no. of people. Also this is a powerful opportunity to educate them on civic sense and prepare them for greater material abundance - if one can think bigger then this will plant the seed for future growth and prosperity - the more who think this way the better. The strength of the collective is exponentially more powerful than the collective strength of inividuals.

Very well said....I was thinking the same before reading your reply. India is developing and every citizen irrespective of religion, caste, creed or social status should be a part of it.

[rkramesh]

Thanks for your kind words and enthusiatic support mk and Hyd Nipper ::

Love the 2 video especially the second one Indiavision - very well put together - especially if Sai Manohar Rudramaina is an amateur. It is infectiously exiciting...
Also notice a delightful detail - do they have electric golf carts ferrying people from the car parks to the terminal? DO they charge for it? Or is it only for some airlines or business/first class passengers? Such a fab idea - gives the idea of being well served, good customer care - but takes extra resources if one thinks that people cant easily be dropped off at the terminal side and only the driver walks back - heard it is a long walk somtimes seeming like a (tiring) KM from some parts of the car park to the terminal...

[Desidude]

Originally Posted by rkramesh

Thanks for your kind words and enthusiatic support mk and Hyd Nipper ::

Love the 2 video especially the second one Indiavision - very well put together - especially if Sai Manohar Rudramaina is an amateur. It is infectiously exiciting...
Also notice a delightful detail - do they have electric golf carts ferrying people from the car parks to the terminal? DO they charge for it? Or is it only for some airlines or business/first class passengers? Such a fab idea - gives the idea of being well served, good customer care - but takes extra resources if one thinks that people cant easily be dropped off at the terminal side and only the driver walks back - heard it is a long walk somtimes seeming like a (tiring) KM from some parts of the car park to the terminal...

Ya Ramesh, I read (i'll try to find the source) they have those golf cart kinda vehicles for elderly passengers and for people who need assistance. I don't think they charge.

[ramkan]

New airport gears up for summer schedule

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Schedule entails rise in number of daily flights to 324

Coffee, lunch pack for passengers at affordable prices

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HYDERABAD: Already a week into full-fledged operations, the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad is gearing itself to handle the increased passenger traffic on account of summer schedule that began on Sunday.

The schedule entails an increase in the number of daily flights to 324 - 280 domestic and 44 international- with the launch of new routes by various airlines and additional flights on existing sectors.

The RGIA now has its task cut out to counter the flak over shortcomings in passenger conveniences, malfunction of aerobridges and parking woes. So much so, the members in both Houses of the Legislature recently demanded revival of the Begumpet airport for domestic flights till RGIA gets its act together.

Admitting initial glitches in the greenfield airport, Mr. A. Viswanath, vice-president (Corporate Planning and Risk Management), GHIAL, said “we are doing our best to further improve performance. Many airports have gone through teething troubles and the RGIA, in comparison, is stabilising rather quickly”.

The Shamshabad airport, he said, handled 1.20 lakh passengers so far without a single flight cancellation. In contrast, over 70 flights were cancelled after the first two days of the inauguration of Heathrow Airport’s new terminal on March 27 due to glitches in baggage-handling.

RGIA handled 825 flight arrivals and an equal number of departures. This meant 270 ATMs (Air Traffic Movements) were handled daily but the real challenge would start now with the addition of 54 new flights in the summer schedule.

Referring to passenger amenities, Mr. Viswanath said they had introduced coffee at Rs.10, a move that turned out to be a hit with passengers and packed lunch for Rs. 30 a pack while drinking water was sold at rates equivalent to outside rates. Air-India had opened its lounge on Sunday while signage had been improved. Personal cars would be allowed to come to the arrival ramp.

[Babji]

Originally Posted by ramkan

... they had introduced coffee at Rs.10, a move that turned out to be a hit with passengers and packed lunch for Rs. 30 a pack while drinking water was sold at rates equivalent to outside rates. Air-India had opened its lounge on Sunday while signage had been improved. Personal cars would be allowed to come to the arrival ramp.

[Desidude]

Originally Posted by ramkan

New airport gears up for summer schedule

Referring to passenger amenities, Mr. Viswanath said they had introduced coffee at Rs.10, a move that turned out to be a hit with passengers and packed lunch for Rs. 30 a pack while drinking water was sold at rates equivalent to outside rates. Air-India had opened its lounge on Sunday while signage had been improved. Personal cars would be allowed to come to the arrival ramp.

Fair enough......

[ananth9803]

Originally Posted by ramkan

New airport gears up for summer schedule

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Referring to passenger amenities, Mr. Viswanath said they had introduced coffee at Rs.10, a move that turned out to be a hit with passengers and packed lunch for Rs. 30 a pack while drinking water was sold at rates equivalent to outside rates. Air-India had opened its lounge on Sunday while signage had been improved. Personal cars would be allowed to come to the arrival ramp.

Way to go!!!! I am expecting that this airport will recover from these 'glitches' way faster than other international airports!!!

[harsh1802]

Originally Posted by ananth9803

Way to go!!!! I am expecting that this airport will recover from these 'glitches' way faster than other international airports!!!

Yup. No doubt about that.

[Desidude]

seating ready for the Airport village. This should get rid of the plastic chairs we've seen from the opening (few) days. Couple of months before everything's normal.

[cncity]

Awesome airport..i hope some day all Indian airports are at the least like this ....

[Illusionist]

awesome videos... thanks IV...
one question though... are those escalators out doors?? what happens if it rains?

[barrykul]

Okay, now that HIAL is of to a good start, what are the plans and schedules for expansion. I believe that in two years HIAL needs that second runway and expand the number of air bridges for the impending boom in Air travel. Any published timetable for the next phases, hope it starts of very soon.

[qwertyasd]

HIAL looks awesome.. The road connections also look good though i dont know if they are like that all the way... eagerly waiting for PVNR Expway

[arjunhp]

Err...I know they take some time to load....They are mixed with departure and arrival...

[castlerock]

Whats wrong with the floor. Why do the joints between tiles always appear wet? They could have used larger and better granite slabs for the flooring like in BIAL. It would have looked more attractive. The airport looks superb otherwise.

[Silicon_Valley]

One word : Awesome

[rajnath27]

thanx for sharing the pics Arjun. Excellnt pics

[scorpiogenius]

Indian Airports are finally making their way into the league in terms of design. But I must say they have overdone that elevator in pic# 2.

Thanks for the wonderful snaps Arjun