The Chennai Domestic and International Departure and Arrival Terminals look very modern — made of steel and glass, appearing as beautiful as any airport in the world. However, inside, things couldn’t be worse.

The flooring outside the entrance of the terminal is old, broken and dirty. The signage is far from what one would expect at a brand new airport. When the airport was inaugurated, it was only partly complete and most of the passenger facilities were non-existent. Despite this, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority decided to charge a user development fee effective April 1, which was subsequently withdrawn after the Air Passengers Association of India protested.

The expansion was to start in 2008 and be completed by January 2011. However, it took 27 months more to be inaugurated. But even 18 months after the inauguration, held on January 31, 2013, some of the areas are not ready and the airport gives you a feeling that it is still incomplete.

Project cost Independent auditors and officials in the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) say the delays and faulty planning and execution, which led to the project cost increasing from ₹1,808.25 crore to ₹2,862.71 crore, point to a possible scam.

Officials executing the project have dropped key passenger facilities such as a multi-level parking facility and a walkalator to connect the new terminals, which are 1 km apart. While fliers will find using the new airport a distinctly unpleasant experience, the taxpayer will continue to pay the additional ₹1,054 crore for the fiasco.

A senior AAI deputy director said officials executing the project did not coordinate with the agencies involved or with the airport users.

“They did not share the project blueprint with aviation agencies, airlines or users,” he said. The existing Chennai Airport advisory committee hasn’t met to discuss the plans even once.

Rain rituals The workers at the new airport are now used to a ritual, whenever a raincloud appears on the horizon they search for plastic buckets.

When the heavens open up, it is hell here as rain water drips through crevices and false ceilings. At least 10 buckets were placed at different points in the new international terminal one Sunday night in November 2013 to collect water after heavy rains lashed the city.

Areas with maximum water leaks at the airport are the passenger lounges, security hold areas of the new terminals, the corridor connecting the two terminals, and the passenger-hold area inside the new steel-and-glass structure with a hovering wing-like roof.

According to official sources, the terminal continues to leak at several spots even after the AAI took up maintenance work after the false ceiling collapsed a few times.

Water everywhere “Several areas inside the airport had water on the floor,” said M Manjula, a passenger. “We could see waste bins and buckets kept on the corridors to collect rainwater, many spots at the security hold area near the point where passengers are screened also had water on the floor. I could see four buckets kept at different spots,” she said. It is dangerous for senior citizens to walk on such water spots.

The AAI project team says it used A-class materials for construction, and it has engaged the best of contractors and sub-contractors. The new terminals were built at a cost of ₹2,015 crore. However, some officials point to the frequent falling of tiles from the false ceiling and the recent cracking of a glass panel as indicators of shoddy work. There have been more than 20 very serious incidents at the airport. While a section of the officials have been pressing for a review of the work, an investigation ordered by the Civil Aviation Ministry into the cost escalation of the project is yet to take off. The project was commissioned in March 2013, more than 27 months after the deadline.

The core function of the AAI, which was carved out of the Civil Aviation Ministry in 1995, was to improve quality and service in airports across the country. Officials decided that of AAI’s two principal responsibilities — operations and engineering — operations would be the first priority. Operations involve safety and quality of terminal management, airside operations and providing comfort to the passengers with all facilities required in a good airport.

However, several projects and extensive construction work over the past few years have changed the character of AAI, with the authority hiring fewer airport management and operations experts and more engineers. Experts say the replacement of experts in airport management, safety, commercial and customer relationship with engineers has had severe impact on service, quality and safety at Indian airports.

Key posts The posts of member, operations and member, planning (a crucial post that had been filled by experts) and other key positions are all now occupied by engineers. Most of the posts are now being filled by engineers, and experienced operations and airport managers have nothing to do. Similarly, “appointments of all five regional executive directors, and directors of Kolkata airport have also been on the same lines. All these appointments are now under the scanner,” an expert said.

Status of facilitiesDomestic Terminal: 75,000 sq m of domestic terminal opened but lacks passenger facilities such as clean toilets

International Terminal: Work on the 65,000-sq m international terminal has been completed but lacks facilities provided for airline operators

Secondary Runway: ₹550-crore project was recently cleared by the DGCA. One major concern is the safety of the runway bridge built across Adyar river. The length of the runway is only 2,300 m

Inline Baggage Screening System: Faulty planning and callousness of AAI project team has delayed setting up the system. So far, no official move has been reported to procure the baggage screening system

Airport Operation Control Centre: The key operation control area of the airport was not included in the plan.

The author is the National President, Air Passengers Association of India.

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