Those of you who are regulars at the Chennai airport could have often wondered, is this the worst airport in the world? Well, not quite, apparently Port Harcourt International Airport in Nigeria, which is just a tent, is the winner on that one. But Chennai is not very far off, and has been listed as one of the worst airports in Asia, according to travel website The Guide to Sleeping In Airports.
The travel website recently released the Worst Airports in the World list, and Chennai features in the Worst Airports in Asia list.
The travel website conducted a survey which asked about 26,297 fliers to identify the world’s worst and best aviation terminals. The survey asked travellers to judge the facilities on the basis of these four categories: comfort, convenience, cleanliness and customer service.
Chennai International Airport has been listed seventh in the list of worst airports in Asia. The respondents not only highlighted baggage handling issues but also complained about what Chennai-based travellers would know as its biggest problem - the stink emanating from its dirty toilets.
“Bathroom-wise, problems tend to stem from the leaking faucets, the dirty floors and the never-scrubbed toilets. This is all particularly remarkable given that the airport added a new terminal and a series of renovations in 2012,” says the survey.
Travellers have also complained about the baggage handling issues. Travellers say that it takes a long time for the luggage to reach the plane. “Baggage-wise, complaints begin with the sheer amount of time it takes for your bags to disembark from the plane. Once you have them, it is then unlikely that you'll find a working trolley or helpful staff – in spite of there being so many of them wandering around.”
Further, travellers also reported facing problems in finding a working trolley and helpful staff.
The list of the worst airports in Asia is topped by the Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal, Tashkent International Airport, Uzbekistan and Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan.