Airport services to be graded soon

New Delhi: One may never be able to wish away long queues at airports, but government agencies like customs and immigration will now have to specify the maximum time they will take to clear a passenger at their counters.
In a first, the aviation ministry’s greenfield airport policy approved by the Cabinet on Thursday provides for private airport developers to sign MoUs with five agencies - ATC, security, customs, immigration and the Met department - under which they will have to pledge a certain minimum level of service standards to passengers. The real effect would be felt once the new airports are ready, officials said.
This move could end the uncertainty that currently greets passengers at big Indian airports, as no one knows how long will they have to stand in different queues. Once the MoUs are in place, there will be a maximum time for clearing each counter for "clean" passengers. It will cover the existing privately run airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kochi, and all the new ones that are built in future.
An airport operator has to guarantee a certain level of services and be rated on a scale of one to five.
27/04/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Apr 2008