Up in the air over India

Last week’s business trip to India was my first visit for almost three years. Much has changed since 2005. The impact of GDP growth in excess of 9% annually is evident everywhere. The traffic is clearly busier than ever in Delhi and Bangalore, while major infrastructure projects are sprouting in abundance. Delhi had many new highway fly-overs in place, eliminating the chaotic intersections I once negotiated between the airport and my hotel. Mumbai has an enormous elevated highway and stay-cable bridge under construction called the Bandra Worli Sea Link. This is the first phase of a new 16.9km highway being built offshore along the city coastline, linking its airport with the main business district.

All three cities I visited (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore) also have new airport facilities under construction. The opening of these new facilities can’t come soon enough. Currently, India's air passenger numbers are growing at 25 per cent a year. As a result, the volume of passengers has almost doubled since I last flew around the country. Its ageing air transport network is clearly showing the strain. Transiting through each airport was a nightmare last week. Every domestic flight was delayed and at least two flights were forced to circle the airport until landing slots opened up.

The chaos began the moment we touched down in Delhi. After a red-eye flight from London we were directed to one carousel while our luggage was delivered to another. It took almost an hour to finally be united with our possessions. The situation was no better at the domestic terminal. Regular announcements about flight delays were rendered illegible by static and shattered public address speakers. To make matters worse, my delayed flight eventually vanished from the departure screen without explanation. Enquiries at the help desk delivered one story. Asking the same question at any departure gate resulted in a different answer. My frustration was compounded by the fact that some gates had flight departure details displayed while other gates had queues of passengers departing without any flight details in sight.

Fortunately, relief is coming. Delhi has a US$2 billion expansion underway that includes a new runway and terminal. Both should open later this year. The international terminal is also one giant construction zone with hammering and hoardings everywhere. Further south, Bangalore has built an entirely new airport which was due to open in March. However, government authorities weren’t happy with the new airport’s air traffic control system and the scheduled opening was cancelled. A new opening date has yet to be finalised. Heathrow’s Terminal 5 nightmares pale by comparison.

However, not every aspect of flying in India was unpleasant. The inflight meals were the best I've encountered on a domestic flight in years - a large tray of hot, tasty food. My flight between Mumbai and Bangalore even had on-demand seatback entertainment. BA offers none of these perks on its European short-haul flights covering similar distances. Like Qantas, its inflight meals have morphed to nothing more than a tiny sandwich. How ironic. Cabin service pioneered in the Developed World is now only available in the Developing World.