Travel east for pleasure

New Delhi: Terminal 3 at IGI airport opens tomorrow. Across Asia, new levels of style and efficiency distinguish airports, redefining the once simple act of travel.
This could well be the motto of airlines, given the quality of airports in east and south-east Asia, compared to those in Europe. Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and now T3, Delhi’s newest, are all not just big on space (we’re talking 5.4 million square metres here) but also on style. Compared to the crowded, dull and unfriendly airports at Frankfurt, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Vienna and their like, this is Asian warmth and seductiveness at its best.
As many as seven of the 12 largest airport terminals in the world in terms of floor area are in Asia. The non-Asian mega-terminals are in Mexico, Madrid, Barcelona and, of course, Dubai. This is understandable, as traffic growth in the next 20 years is expected to come from Asia. According to Airbus’s forecast, traffic in Asia will grow by 6 per cent every year till 2028, compared to only 4.3 per cent in Europe and 2.4 per cent in North America.
This optimism is reflected in Delhi’s new offering. Built by a consortium led by the GMR group, T3 is much bigger than Singapore’s Changi Terminal 3 and 2 put together, or even the famed Incheon Airport in Seoul and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport’s Terminal 1, and one third of the world’s largest terminal — Dubai’s Terminal 3.
03/06/10 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports Jul 2010